The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

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In the previous episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast (#281), Dianne and Jennie explored Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts and some of its most visited monuments including one often called, "The Boy in the Boat" which marks the grave of little Louis Mieusset. We shared the common story that Louis died as a result of being drowned, but while that story continues to be perpetuated, his death was the result of disease, a common occurrence for thousands of Victorian children; so how did his story become so changed? 
In this episode, Jennie and Dianne delve into the story of the Mieusset family, which begins with two brothers from France who brought Parisian fine dining to Boston. One became the city’s most celebrated restaurateur, the other would fade into obscurity, lost to time after the death of his young son. 
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
Resources used to research this episode include various digitized records found on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.com as well as various historical newspaper articles and advertisements found on newspapers.com.
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Looking for things to do in Boston in addition to walking the Freedom Trail? Might we suggest visiting Forest Hills Cemetery in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood? This 275-acre historic cemetery, founded in 1848 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, is the final resting place of poets e.e. cummings (all lower case on purpose) and Anne Sexton, composer Amy Beach, victims of the Great Molasses Flood, and so many more. Forest Hills is also known for its Contemporary Sculpture Path, established in 2001. We discuss “Resting Benches” by Danielle Krcmer & Lisa Osborne, “Neighbors” by Christopher Frost, and the intricate Victorian marble monuments of Gracie Allen and Louis Mieusset. Join Jennie and Dianne for their overview of this stunning burial ground that has never been just a place to end an Ordinary Extraordinary story, but one where stories, art and nature have continued to bring peace and fascination to the living for nearly 180 years and counting. 
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
Image Credits: Top Left: "Boy in the Boat" photo by LMJ and posted to findagrave.com on 10/11/2004. - Top Right: Gates of Forest Hills Cemetery Canva.com - Center Left: Portrait of Amy Beach in the Public Domain - Portrait of e.e. cummings in the Public Domain - Center Right: "Gracie Allen" photo by LMJ and posted to findagrave.com on 11/05/2004.
Resources used to research this episode include:
Forest Hills Cemetery , . "About Us/Resources/History/." https://www.foresthillscemetery.com/. www.foresthillscemetery.com/. Accessed 1 June 2026.

National Park Service , . "Forest Hills Cemetery ." https://www.nps.gov/. www.nps.gov/places/forest-hills-cemetery.htm. Accessed 1 June 2026.

Marx, Walter H. "Boy in the Boat Statue at Forest Hills ." https://www.jphs.org/. www.jphs.org/locales/2005/9/30/boy-in-the-boat-statue-at-forest-hills.html#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 1 June 2026.

Sammarco, Anthony M. "The Boy in the Boat." https://foresthillstrust.blogspot.com/. 21 Feb. 2010. foresthillstrust.blogspot.com/2010/02/boy-in-boat.html?m=1. Accessed 1 June 2026.

Poetry Foundation , . "E.E. Cummings ." https://www.poetryfoundation.org/. www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/e-e-cummings. Accessed 1 June 2026.

Brandman, Ph.D, Mariana. "Amy Beach (1867-1944) ." https://www.mawomenshistory.org/. www.mawomenshistory.org/resources/biographies/amy-beach-1867-1944. Accessed 1 June 2026.

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This past Monday, men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice were remembered in Memorial Day tributes across the United States, and on this episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast Dianne and Jennie chat with Ryan Seidemann who returns for the latest "Death and Dying 101" segment with questions his college classes have asked: If we can’t bring soldiers home, who’s responsible for their graves? Why did military headstones get simpler? Are remains from past wars still being found? Tune in for this conversation that digs deeper into the history and laws behind military burials, because remembering is only part of how we honor them.
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
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This week, Jennie sits down with author Daniel Grace to discuss his new novel In the Wake of Golgotha. The conversation weaves together ancient betrayal and modern violence through the intertwined lives of Judas and Pontius Pilate, reborn across two thousand years.
Daniel explores how the weight of history follows us. The book opens with a chilling echo of Golgotha, also known as Calvary Hill, the site of history’s most well-known execution and death, where one crucifixion sparked a new religion and forever altered the course of humanity, death, and even burial itself. That same shadow appears in present-day New York, where three men are found murdered in a basement, with Pilate’s words scrawled in blood on the wall.
Jennie and Daniel discuss themes of guilt, redemption, and the graves we inherit, both literal and spiritual, as Jude Issachar and Peter Pheiffer are forced to confront a cycle of violence and addiction that began on that sacred hill in Jerusalem more than two thousand years ago.
In the Wake of Golgotha can be purchased anywhere books are sold or through this link: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/in-the-wake-of-golgotha/
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
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Thirty years after her death, Erma Bombeck is still the patron saint of moms everywhere so it felt only fitting to celebrate her life and legacy with Mother's Day just around the corner. She wrote the messy, hilarious, heartwarming truth about marriage and motherhood before it was a hashtag. "I brought children into this lousy, mixed-up world because when you love someone and they love you back, the world doesn’t look that lousy or seem that mixed up." Join Jennie and Dianne on this latest episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast as they dive into her life, her funniest writings, and why so much of her humor and wisdom still apply today. ~ "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say: “I used everything you gave me."
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
Resources used to research this episode include:
University Of Dayton. "Erma Bombeck ." https://ermabombeckcollection.com/. ermabombeckcollection.com/. Accessed 3 May 2026.

University Of Dayton. "Erma’s Life ." https://ermabombeckcollection.com/. ermabombeckcollection.com/life/. Accessed 3 May 2026.

Svoboda, Melanie . "Erma Bombeck: American Humorist ." https://melanniesvobodasnd.org/. 22 May 2017. melanniesvobodasnd.org/erma-bombeck/. Accessed 3 May 2026.

Britannica Editors. "Erma Bombeck." https://www.britannica.com/. 18 Apr. 2026. www.britannica.com/biography/Erma-Bombeck. Accessed 3 May 2026.

Wright Memorial Public Library . "Erma Bombeck ." https://www.wrightlibrary.org/. www.wrightlibrary.org/daytonliterarytrail/writers/bombeck. Accessed 3 May 2026.

Burrow, Christopher . https://americanwritersmuseum.org/. 5 Dec. 2017. americanwritersmuseum.org/erma-bombeck/?srsltid=AfmBOoppnJpZqPOqAuu-mrDG10c7-YCvqaUjSPmW-arGVd2-ebyHHZ_A. Accessed 3 May 2026.
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