In a quiet patch of trees along the former railroad line in Brush Creek Township, Scioto County, Ohio, stands a gravestone that has weathered nearly two centuries. It marks the grave of Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac and Nancy McCan, who died on August 22, 1852, at the age of 9 years, 6 months, and 22 days.
The stone lies near the community once known as Young’s Station, a modest settlement between Otway and Rarden. This inscription, hand-carved and full of phonetic spellings, reflects not only the regional dialect of early Appalachian settlers, but also a raw and tender grief rendered permanent in stone.
“This languishen hed is at rest,
Its thinken and achen is ore,
This quiet imovable brest,
Is heaved by aflicton no more.”
