I just realized the title of my post makes it sound like I'm showing a picture of the town of Orion. Sorry!

Where is this cemetery and was C.A. a common abbreviation for California back then?

It looks like Orion was a railroad stop. Did it even exist in 1832? I doubt it. Very little of California was developed in 1832, most on the coast. That was before the railroads and before the Gold Rush.

Could it be a place in Canada?

I wonder if it is somewhere else. "California" was not abbreviated that way until recently. I see Omou. C.A.--Central America?

shielajoyce, could it possibly be Omow? It's hard to tell what the last letter is.

At first I thought it said Omou too. The only Omou and Omon I could find are in Africa, but there's an Orion in Canada, in Alberta, about 50 miles from Medicine Hat. The description says:

The hamlet has a grocery store, a post office, a gas station/hardware store, a newly built church and many remaining facades of past businesses.

The "past businesses" make it sound like a possibility.

If the stone does say Orion, C.A. I can just type it that way, without explanation.

His name is somewhat unusual, but Googling it didn't get me anywhere.

Thanks for your input!

Probably not Canada as Can was the way to abbreviate it for years at least in the past. The abbreviation Ca for Canada came about when using the Internet domains.

I really doubt it's California as well? not much information online either...that's mostly agriculture area, in ca...

In 1830, what is now called California was called Alta California (Upper, as contrasted with Baja (lower) California) and was part of Mexico. The population was less than 10,000 people.

You're welcome to assess it how you will, but the letters CA often precede a date as an abbreviation for "circa", which means "approximately" or "around".

Where is this tombstone located?
Could it be a battle by that name? I would think it odd for them to write that he died "at" a city.

It's in Pennsylvania. Were we at war in 1832? (It wouldn't surprise me.)

We're familiar with circa, Snidely, but I can't see that it applies here. The date is quite specific.

Unless, of course, the stone engraver was like a friend of mine, who has been known to say things like, "He called me around 7:42 p.m." :-)

I couldn't find any "war", but who knows?

I've been caught making comments like that too Alisande. Like "my water broke about 5:52", in which my brother called me on. LOL Haven't thought of that in about 32 years three months and 6 days. :^D

In 1830 refrigeration wasn't widespread nor mobile, there was no transcontinental railroad and no embalming. Assume that bodies were buried close to where the death occurred for many good reasons.

It's possible, of course, that he was buried elsewhere but memorialized on this stone.

Looking at the picture again just now, I think I know what it is: Omoa, Central America. Omoa is a town in Honduras. I didn't see the last letter as Omoa before, but now it's perfectly clear.

Sheilajoyce, extra points for thinking of Central America!

Now, if someone could just tell me what he was doing in Honduras..... :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Omoa on Wikipedia

This post was edited by alisande on Mon, Nov 3, 14 at 8:24

A Hosmer from New England experimented with growing non-native trees on Haleakala on Maui in the early 1900's. Hosmer's Grove still exists. (Thinking this may have been no stay-at-home kind of family.)

Would there have been a local newspaper in your area in 1832? If so, I'd think a death in such an exotic (??) place would have been mentioned in the paper. I really enjoy reading your posts.

Sometimes a charcoal or soft-lead pencil rubbing is clearer than the original lettering.