FINAL UPDATE: Adolphus Renny Whitehead Heastone Project

AUGUST 26, 2013 - Leslie V. Cook has announced that the headstones are done!  He sent some photos to show the finished product:

Front of Headstones

Back of Headstones

I would just like to express my gratitude to everyone who participated in this project, but especially give a shout-out to Leslie Cook who started it all, and did so much work to coordinate funds and order the headstones, etc.  Now we can, for generations to come, be able to have a tangible reminder of the courage and sacrifice of this beloved pioneer ancestor.

We're hoping to plan a small reunion  in St. George sometime soon so that we can dedicate these memorials and have a chance to meet each other.  I will pass on this info to you as soon as I know the date, etc.





(JUNE 6, 2013) I received an email from Leslie Cook (a month ago - sorry about the delay!) about the progress in the Adolphus R. Whitehead Headstone project (to see more info, see link at the end of this post).  If you haven't been following the project, the original headstones, located in St. George, Utah, suffered damage due to time and weather (they were made out of soft sandstone) and vandalized.  To honor our amazing ancestor and his family, Leslie Cook came up with the awesome idea to replace them, so he has been collecting donations all winter.  We know that Adolphus was dearly loved - so many relatives stepped up that we will be able to erect the headstone for Adolphus and his wives in hard stone and they should last for generations to come!  Thanks to so many who contributed, and a huge thanks to Leslie Cook for his hard work.

So, here is the latest image of the proposed headstones.  I am assuming that they have been ordered; once they are ordered it takes 60 days for the stone to arrive, and then it needs to be carved and placed at the cemetery. I'll keep you updated as to the estimated date that they'll be put in place.

This photo on the left was taken in 1972.  This is Adolphus Renny Whitehead's original headstone. 

This photo on the right was also taken in 1972.  This is Mary Elizabeth Goddard Whitehead's original headstone.

My father, Armand Toyn Whitehead, took these photos.  I'm glad he did, because the originals, even before they were vandalized, were in pretty bad shape.  As you can see, Mary G. Whitehead's headstone had cracked and broken completely off on the top portion and had to be repaired.

For More recent photos of the existing originals that Leslie Cook provided, you can find them here on my blog by clicking on this link: AdolphusRennyWhitehead