This majestic granite tree is a monument to George W. Hamer (1830-1913), his wife Mary Megahan (1833-1913), their daughter Ida B. Hamer Brant (1863-1889) and her husband, John W. Brant (?-1915), and their three other children in Oak Ridge Cemetery, 1441 Monument Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. John Brant was a railroad engineer and supervisor. Ida died tragically of tuberculosis at the age of 26. Tree-shaped grave markers like this are common in the Midwest, but this one is particularly elaborate, with flowering vines, ferns, and acorns. Oak Ridge Cemetery is the second-most visited cemetery in the United States, and its 365 acres are the final resting place for over 75,000 dead.
M.A. Kleen 