Describes attending the funeral of his nephew, Will Greatbatch. Transcription: a table fronting the empty fire-place stood the little coffin. I went to it to look at the child [Will Greatbatch] ?s face, and not till then was cognizant that the veiled figure which sat beside it was poor Mary Anne [Greatbatch]. She put out a black gloved hand and squeezed mine. More persons came anon, Alcock & his wife. And after nigh an hours waiting the minister, who delivered the customary address. There after some little delay, we moved down stairs, and into the carriages. I entered the second one, in which
Describes attending the funeral of his nephew, Will Greatbatch. Transcription: a table fronting the empty fire-place stood the little coffin. I went to it to look at the child [Will Greatbatch] ?s face, and not till then was cognizant that the veiled figure which sat beside it was poor Mary Anne [Greatbatch]. She put out a black gloved hand and squeezed mine. More persons came anon, Alcock & his wife. And after nigh an hours waiting the minister, who delivered the customary address. There after some little delay, we moved down stairs, and into the carriages. I entered the second one, in which were also three others, young man & wife, and another woman. So we moved on, rather slowly through the sunlit, dusty, bustling streets to the East River, and crossing by one of the less frequented ferrys the bright, beautiful, river, on through Brooklyn towards Greenwood. It was a lovely day, true summer weather, and save for dust every thing outward, pleasant to look upon. Getting to Greenwood betwixt 4 & 5 we wound along its paths for a good mile or more, and then issued forth on an open space where were many childrens graves, percieveable [perceivable] by the little mounds surmounting them. The spot seemed but recently added to the Cemeterys ground, it was unornamented, and bare. Some score or two of persons scattered about, and blue untroubled sky over all. There was a little squared pit awaiting the coffin & it was speedily lowered down, and the men commenced filling in the earth. It seemed sad, that mass of earth upon the upturned, dumb Title: Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries: Volume 5, page 175, March 29, 1853 . 29 March 1853. Gunn, Thomas Butler, 1826-1903
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