The Barclay Blog

Philander Barclay at Find a Grave

​By Anna-Maria Manuel

Published September 16, 2024.

 

A few weeks ago, I sponsored Philander Barclay’s memorial page at Find a Grave. It’s something I’ve thought of doing for the past two years. Barclay does not have a grave at Forest Home Cemetery (Forest Park, IL). His ashes were scattered there in Section 1, the "Pioneer Section," where local pioneers and prominent residents from the "Horse and Buggy Days" are buried. A fitting resting place for the Village Historian! Because Barclay lacks a burial plot and headstone, I hope the virtual memorial at Find a Grave serves as a substitute—at least, in a small way.

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Recently, Find a Grave added to its sponsorship perk. It’s not only removal of ads from the memorial. Now, the sponsor can post up to 10 photos on the memorial. No ads and more photos—that’s more like it! I decided to act.

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The memorial’s description of Barclay is valid, but there was far more to his life. I think the description can be changed, if I work with the creator of the page. I can’t do it on my own.

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Until I have time to investigate changing the description, my goal with the images and captions I added to the memorial is to briefly summarize Barclay’s story, focusing on his accomplishments: bicycle shop, hobby (Village Historian), and community service.

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I can edit my 10 photos easily. It’s not difficult to remove and add photos and improve captions (as long as each one is fewer than 208 characters, as I learned the hard way). With my continuing research, Barclay’s “life in images” may be slightly modified over time.

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By the way, all images can be enlarged. When you click on a picture, look for the "View Original" button. (On my laptop, "View Original" appears at the bottom, right-hand corner of the black photo display area.) When you click on the button, it will enlarge the image. From there, the image can be enlarged more by hovering over it and clicking the plus sign in the magnifying glass.

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Here’s Barclay’s Find a Grave memorial page:

​https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137241764/philander-walker-barclay