From Tears to Memories and From Tears to Memories II
by James W. Carpenter

Cemeteries aren’t usually the first things that come to mind when reminiscing about Chincoteague Island. Ponies . . . natural landscapes . . . perfect sunsets . . . Chincoteague oysters . . . yes – - but rarely cemeteries. However, Island native and author Jim Carpenter has filled two volumes with information about the graves of Chincoteague residents buried on and off the Island. His first book – From Tears to Memories – combines a ‘walking tour’ through the Island’s eight cemeteries with a sort of ‘who’s who’ of Island residents. The bulk of book looks like a very large table, with lists of names, dates of death, location of the grave and notes about family members. Spend some time with the book and you begin to get a feel for Chincoteague’s history. Discover who was the first merchant, who was the oldest volunteer fireman, and who was survived by 112 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Carpenter is a Chincoteague native who retired from the Coast Guard and turned his interest in research and preservation of the Island’s cemeteries into the book. After completing From Tears to Memories, Carpenter realized that many residents were laid to rest on the mainland, he began to document gravesites in the Downing and John W. Taylor cemeteries in North Accomack County and published From Tears to Memories II.

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