Orbs in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond

So I tried to schedule a few entries to post themselves over the weekend, including my big Halloween-themed post. I must have done something wrong because none of them were added to the site. Sorry for the delay with this one since I promised I would post it on Halloween. It is a little late but a good story nonetheless.

Back in 2002 I finally found an ancestor of mine buried in Hollywood Cemetery. I always wanted to find one but never had any of my people buried there. Hollywood was a too prestigious (i.e. costly) for most of my ancestors. Surprisingly enough, I found that my grandmother's great-grandparents were actually buried in the cemetery. I never would have thought it since they were some of the poorest ancestors that I have. They were buried in a relative's section so maybe that relative had money (and some pity)!

Once I found the grave site I was impressed by the nice iron fence but disappointed when I did not find gravestones for my ancestors. I had been to the office in Hollywood and gotten a copy of the burial records for this particular section. I was amazed at how many people were supposed to be buried in such a small plot, some of them not related to our family (as best as I can tell). In the little section there were a total of fourteen graves, only five of which were laid out on the plat. The remainder of the area is marked "full of graves."

I took some pictures of the fenced section and was about to leave when an idea hit me. I noticed that one of the fence rods was loose so I pulled it out of the fence. I proceeded to poke all over the leave-covered ground with the metal rod, not knowing exactly what I would find. After about five minutes I hit something. I then used the rod as a shovel and started removing dirt.

The object was probably six inches below the surface and I was too curious to stop digging. Being so close to a large tree, who knows what the roots might have pushed up! After a few minutes it became clear what I had found...a tombstone. Once completely uncovered I had found the tombstone of my ancestor, Frank Jarvis of Petersburg and Manchester. That only excited me (and cost me another hour of poking). I was thereafter determined that I could find a stone for his wife, Elizabeth, but I did not have such luck. She died in a home for the poor years after Frank so it made sense that she did not have one.

This is a great story so far but it gets even better. When I developed the film, I noticed something even more odd than tombstone being buried. I could understand the tombstone being buried because the large tree had been dumping leaves on the flat stone for well over 100 years. The photos that I took captured something that the leaves could not cover up...the spirits of those buried beneath its branches!

Look at this first photo. If you click on the photo you can get a very large view of it. There is an orb floating in the corner of the section, right where I found the stone for Frank Jarvis. There is also a blob in the top, right corner and a haze over the entire middle of the photo.


In the second photo, taken from behind the section, there is a hazy blob where Elizabeth Jarvis would have been buried, near the trunk of my car. There is also some haze in the air near the top, right side of the photo. There also appears to be a tiny orb in the upper, middle of the photo, in the tree's branches.


Okay, let's try to explain these photos. I can rule out malfunction...look at the photo of Frank's tombstone and you will see no such blurs or hazy spots. I will admit that it was kinda rainy that morning but it was not really raining at the time of the photos. It could have been a little misty and perhaps the orbs are reflections off raindrops. However, keep in mind two things...I am not sure if the flash was even on and I was using my wife's nice camera. If it were raining, I would not have had the nerve to use it. If it got wet, she would kill me.

Take it for what it is worth but I like to think that maybe I caught the spirits of Frank and Elizabeth on film. I know that it was probably just water and humidity but there is a lot of haze around the photos, maybe it is ectoplasm of something. It just seems strange that only these two photos were influenced when I took a bunch of photos that day. What do you think? Water or Jarvises?

Elizabeth Bradshaw Jarvis of Manchester and Richmond, 1828-1905

Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 30, 1905:
"MRS. ELIZABETH JARVIS - Mrs. Elizabeth Jarvis, an inmate of the Home for Needy Confederate Women, died at 6:30 o'clock Monday night at the Retreat for the Sick, where she had been taken for special treatment. The funeral will be from the home, No. 3 East Grace Street, at 9:30 this morning"

Elizabeth is buried in section E, lot 90 of Hollywood Cemetery. Upon visiting this site, I was unable to find a stone for Elizabeth. I punched the entire front portion of the plat with a metal rod but to no avail. All I could come up with were tree roots (however I did find a stone for her husband). I doubt Elizabeth would have a stone anyway, seeing as though she died in a poor house. I suppose we should be grateful that they gave her a proper burial.

Descendants of Andrew Loving Vass of Richmond, Virginia, 1877-1968

Descendants of Andrew Loving Vass

Generation No. 1

1. ANDREW LOVING 3 VASS (JOSEPH A. 2, HENRY 1) was born August 17, 1877 in Hanover County, Virginia, and died November 15, 1968 in Richmond, Virginia. He married BESSIE MAY JARVIS August 18, 1903 in Richmond, Virginia, daughter of WILLIAM JARVIS and ALICE SHELL. She was born September 17, 1886 in Manchester, Chesterfield County, Virginia, and died August 30, 1974 in Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia.

Notes for ANDREW LOVING VASS:
Andrew was tall and slender with blue eyes, dark brown hair and a soft voice. He was devoted to his mother and sisters, walking around with the license in his pocket for a long time before marrying. He worked for Trediger Iron Works as a puddler and drank heavily until the birth of his last child, commenting that he could have bought the finest house in Richmond if he had back all of the money he spent on booze. Andrew injured his hand and become a trash man, walking through the streets of Richmond with his mule and cart, collecting garbage until his retirement.

More About ANDREW LOVING VASS:
Burial: November 18, 1968, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia
Cause of Death: acute myelogenous leukemia

Notes for BESSIE MAY JARVIS:
Bessie’s first pregnancy resulted in a fetal demise. She had three young children die and slammed her breast in a car door, leading to its removal. As an older woman, Bessie was taking off her gown and bent over, lowering herself onto a bedpost and punctured her eyeball. Bessie’s heart hardened, becoming so strict that she would not allow her teenage children to leave their front yard. She was not sociable and did not care for small children. Bessie became so stingy that if she had a piece of fruit, she would let it go bad before she shared it with you.

More About BESSIE MAY JARVIS:
Burial: September 2, 1974, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia
Cause of Death: arteriosclerosis cardiovascular disease
Medical Information: cardiovascular accident

More About ANDREW VASS and BESSIE JARVIS:
Marriage: August 18, 1903, Richmond, Virginia

Children of ANDREW VASS and BESSIE JARVIS are:

i. JOSEPH ANDREW4 VASS, b. November 2, 1906, Richmond, Virginia; d. July 30, 1984, Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia; m. (1) HILLARY ESTELLE WALTON, February 12, 1926, Richmond, Virginia; b. Bet. 1909 - 1910, Richmond, Virginia; m. (2) PRIVATE, 1933, King and Queen County, Virginia.

More About JOSEPH ANDREW VASS:
Burial: August 2, 1984, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia

More About JOSEPH VASS and HILLARY WALTON:
Divorce: Bef. 1933
Marriage: February 12, 1926, Richmond, Virginia

More About JOSEPH VASS and PRIVATE:
Marriage: 1933, King and Queen County, Virginia

ii. RAYMOND ELMORE VASS, b. April 16, 1908, Richmond, Virginia; d. April 18, 1990, Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia; m. SETHELLE MORRISON, September 2, 1933, Richmond, Virginia; b. August 19, 1902, Statesville, Southampton County, Virginia; d. September 22, 1991, Newport News, Virginia.

More About RAYMOND ELMORE VASS:
Burial: April 20, 1990, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia

More About SETHELLE MORRISON:
Burial: September 25, 1991, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia

More About RAYMOND VASS and SETHELLE MORRISON:
Marriage: September 2, 1933, Richmond, Virginia

iii. HERBERT ELTON VASS, b. November 5, 1909, Richmond, Virginia; d. April 7, 2003, Ashland, Hanover County, Virginia; m. PRIVATE, November 11, 1929, Richmond, Virginia; b. Bet. 1910 - 1911, Richmond, Virginia.

More About HERBERT ELTON VASS:
Burial: April 10, 2003, Westhampton Memorial Park, Henrico County, Virginia

More About HERBERT VASS and PRIVATE:
Marriage: November 11, 1929, Richmond, Virginia

iv. LOUISE E. VASS, b. January 26, 1911, Richmond, Virginia; d. March 19, 1912, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia.

Notes for LOUISE E. VASS:
According to Hazel Vass Hargrove, Louise was in her highchair while her brother, Herbert, was climbing on its rails. The chair fell backwards and Louise hit her head on the floor. The baby went into convulsions and died from the trauma. This is contrary to the cause of death as pneumonia listed on her death certificate.

More About LOUISE E. VASS:
Burial: March 20, 1912, Riverview Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
Cause of Death: broncho pneumonia

v. HAZEL VIRGINIA VASS, b. February 23, 1914, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia; d. October 28, 2001, Glen Allen, Hanover County, Virginia; m. (1) CARLTON EDWARD BROCK, May 27, 1932, Richmond, Virginia; b. September 30, 1912, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia; d. July 27, 1958, Richmond, Virginia; m. (2) CARLETON PERNELL HARGROVE, August 4, 1959, Dillon, South Carolina; b. October 15, 1920, North Carolina; d. December 1975.

Notes for HAZEL VIRGINIA VASS:
Hazel attended school until the fifth grade. At the age of fifteen, she left home and went to live with her best friend and future sister-in-law, Mattie Brock. Hazel worked at the Southern Dog Biscuit Company for a few years but later opted to stay home with her children and babysat others. She loved animals, raised African violets and lived alone during her widowhood.

More About HAZEL VIRGINIA VASS:
Burial: October 31, 2001, Signal Hill Memorial Park, Hanover County, Virginia
Cause of Death: pancreatic cancer

Notes for CARLTON EDWARD BROCK:
Edward delivered messages for Western Union, worked at the Broad Street train station, drove for the Yellow Cab Company, painted for the Jefferson Hotel and worked as a janitor at the Cripple Children's Hospital. On the side, he wrote numbers and sold liquor during the prohibition period. Edward was a lady's man, so much that one woman came to his funeral and told his widow that "you may have had his children, but I loved him."

More About CARLTON EDWARD BROCK:
Burial: July 30, 1958, Riverview Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
Cause of Death: acute massive myocardial infarction, complete thrombosis of right coronary

More About CARLTON BROCK and HAZEL VASS:
Marriage: May 27, 1932, Richmond, Virginia

Notes for CARLETON PERNELL HARGROVE:
Carleton worked as a painter and general handyman. He was seriously injured after falling from a roof and spent the rest of his life in a nursing home.

More About CARLETON PERNELL HARGROVE:
Cause of Death: fall from a roof

More About CARLETON HARGROVE and HAZEL VASS:
Divorce: May 10, 1973, Richmond, Virginia
Marriage: August 4, 1959, Dillon, South Carolina

vi. LUCILLE LOTTIE VASS, b. December 29, 1915, Richmond, Virginia; d. November 29, 2004, Richmond, Virginia; m. JOHN ROGER REID, JR., April 11, 1933, Richmond, Virginia; b. May 24, 1914; d. September 16, 1996, Richmond, Virginia.

More About LUCILLE LOTTIE VASS:
Burial: December 4, 2004, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia

Notes for JOHN ROGER REID, JR.:
Buster served in the United States Army as a young man.

More About JOHN ROGER REID, JR.:
Burial: September 18, 1996, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia

More About JOHN REID and LUCILLE VASS:
Marriage: April 11, 1933, Richmond, Virginia

vii. MARGARET ALMETER VASS, b. September 5, 1918, Richmond, Virginia; d. June 28, 1920, Richmond, Virginia.

Notes for MARGARET ALMETER VASS:
Bessie was blind at the time Margaret was burned. She had just undergone surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes. Margaret was in the house and picked up a long stick match from inside the hearth. It caught her dress on fire and Margaret swallowed the flames, scorching her mouth and throat. One of the other children called for Bessie, who then desperately tried to save her child in vain.

More About MARGARET ALMETER VASS:
Burial: June 29, 1920, Riverview Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
Cause of Death: burns accidentally received from playing with matches

viii. WILLIAM WEST VASS, b. February 18, 1921, Richmond, Virginia; d. November 14, 1930, Richmond, Virginia.

Notes for WILLIAM WEST VASS:
On the morning of November 10, 1930, William missed the school bus. He ran and jumped onto the door ledge of the moving bus to get the driver's attention. William slipped and fell beneath its wheels and was crushed. He was taken to Memorial Hospital where he died four days later. It was a very painful and traumatic death.

More About WILLIAM WEST VASS:
Burial: November 16, 1930, Riverview Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
Cause of Death: auto accident - fractures of ribs, pelvis and right arm

ix. DOUGLAS LOVING VASS, b. February 27, 1926, Virginia; d. September 12, 1986, Richmond, Virginia; m. MYRTLE RAY MASKALL; b. March 9, 1929; d. May 14, 1996, Richmond, Virginia.

More About DOUGLAS LOVING VASS:
Burial: September 15, 1986, Washington Memorial Cemetery, Dutch Gap, Henrico County, Virginia

More About MYRTLE RAY MASKALL:
Burial: May 16, 1996, Washington Memorial Cemetery, Dutch Gap, Henrico County, Virginia