This is the headstone of my great-great grandfather, Friedrich Harney. He is buried with his first wife, Margaretha. His second wife, Lizzie, is Margaretha’s daughter from her first marriage. After Margaretha died, Lizzie became Friedrich’s second wife. Friedrich and his wives are buried in Hobart Cemetery, Hobart, Lake County, Indiana.
The above picture was taken by a lovely volunteer, Jim, and was posted onto FindAGrave. What would genealogists do without the kindness of volunteers? I am so very grateful to Jim – not just because he took this photo for me but also because I finally have a clear picture of Friedrich’s gravestone. Jim has also been kind enough to give me details of when this newer stone was placed at the grave site and by whom.
During the 1980s (before I was born), my mom went to Indiana to visit her husband’s family. While in Indiana, she decided to do a little bit of digging on the Harney family. After talking to a few people, she learned that Friedrich Harney and his wives were buried in Hobart Cemetery. So she went to visit his final resting place.
The only problem? It was in the middle of winter. In Indiana. In fact, she decided to go visit him in the middle of a snowstorm. But she was kind enough to get out of the car and take a few quick pictures of the Harney tombstone. However, she didn’t get close enough to the stones for me to be able to read most of the writing.
Thank you, Jim, for bringing me closer to my great-great grandfather. Your help is so greatly appreciated.