Tombstone Tells the Story

Charles Edward Segui, great-uncle 

husband of Mary Fuchs Segui Mitchell, great-aunt

born January 20, 1893 in Georgia 

died January 04, 1915 at sea 

buried Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, Georgia

I located this gravestone for great-uncle, Charles E. Segui on Find A Grave. The volunteer who photographed the stone, granted our family full use of the marker. It has supplied us with several important facts about Charles E. Segui's life.

Enlarging the photograph, a symbol was located at the top of the stone. Using Photo Gallery of Cemetery Symbolism, we discovered Charles was a member of Woodmen of the World.

Wikipedia has the following statement about the organization:

"The organization was founded in 1890 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Joseph Cullen Root. Root, who was a member of several fraternal organizations including the Freemasons, had founded Modern Woodmen of America in Lyons, Iowa, in 1883, after hearing a sermon about "pioneer woodsmen clearing away the forest to provide for their families". Taking his own surname to heart, he wanted to start a Society that "would clear away problems of financial security for its members". Root fell out with the Modern Woodmen of America over accusations of false beneficiary claims. He moved to Omaha, where he started Woodmen of the World on June 6, 1890."

Next, we see how young Charles was when he died. Only 21 years of age. Above the date of death, we are given the reason his life was cut short. "Lost at Sea".

The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.), 14 March 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90052143/1915-03-14/ed-1/seq-1/

Searching Google lead to this obituary on Chronicling America on the Library of Congress website. 

Here we learn Charles was lost in a wreck, January, 1915. He was not recovered until March of that same year. Also, the funeral was in charge of the Woodmen of the World.

Charles and Marie, my great-aunt, were married May 7, 1913 in Glynn, Georgia. Their child, Hannah Marie, was born June 4, 1914. Such a sad story! Charles left behind a wife and young daughter.

Great-aunt Marie was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. I am trying to determine how the couple met, married and returned to Charles' home state. This makes the tragedy even more difficult. Marie was far from home, giving birth to a child and newly widowed. 

By the 1920 United States Federal Census, Marie and her daughter are residing in Baltimore, Maryland. They are living with her parents, my great-grandparents, Stephan and Marie Fuchs.  Marie would eventually remarry and have two more daughters. 

Without locating this headstone, we would not have this important part of Marie's life. I knew she had been married young, but not what happened to Charles E. Segui.

Why do I spend so much time in cemeteries or on Find-A-Grave? Tombstones tell the stories.

Further reading on Woodmen of the World:

Joseph Cullen Root - Giant of American Fraternalism

Woodmen of the World photographs - flickr

Woodmen of the World monuments-Graveyards & Gravestones: photographs of over 2300 Gravestones - Rootsweb