James Franklin Hodges -- Wharton City Cemetery, Wharton TX USA - Woodmen of the World Grave Markers/Monuments on Waymarking.com

Blasterz think there's some 19th century emotional tug-of-war going on here between Lida's father and her husband in the Croom family plot.

Lida Croom Hodges (d. 1911) is buried next to her husband, James Franklin "Frank" Hodges, who died in 1910. But - HIS tombstone claims that he was Lida's "beloved and idolized" husband, and the epitaph on the back of his tombstone is written in the form of a love letter from Lida to Frank dated Feb 20, 1894, where she says she will keep a tryst with him in Heaven. That's practically pornography for this time.

The tombstone reads as follows:

"[front]

JAMES FRANKLIN
devoted and idolized
husband of
LIDA CROOM HODGES
born Feb. 6, 1869
Died
Oct 29, 1910.

[L side]
WoW medallion

[back]

Feb. 20, 1894.
Frank, my darling.
In yon bright world above
I’ll keep a tryst with you
In the blessed Hereafter.
In the life that is to be
We shall stand again
together always close
beside each other, walk-
ing ever hand-in-hand. A little while - dear heart -
Good-bye, good-bye.
1910"

It was when Lida died in 1911 that all the weirdness starts. Her FATHER - not her husband's estate through his Woodmen of the World affiliation - erected this tombstone with an elegantly carved bust of his daughter. OK, that's not weird.

But this IS weird: In contrast to her husband's epitaph, which is about their marriage bond, Lida's epitaph is all about her FATHER's grief. And just to underscore who built this for who: on the base of the tombstone it says in big letters "Erected by my precious Papa who worshiped me as he did his God."

There is one small nod to reality: Lida's marriage and husband's name is mentioned (in passing) on the front, but only after the names of her parents, AND on the base, her maiden name of CROOM is spelled out in very tall and prominent letters.

This is all sooo - Freudian!

Lida Croom Hodges' tombstone is waymarked here: (visit link)

Was the inscription legible?: Yes Location of Marker/Monument: Cemetery

Visit Instructions:
One photo is fine.

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Date Logged Log   04/15/2022 Benchmark Blasterz visited it