A majestic marble obelisk standing 16 feet tall points toward heaven as you make

the first turn into Madison’s Old Cemetery. This beautiful monument was com-

missioned by Dr. Elijah E. Jones from the Philadelphia Steam Marble Works

owned by the esteemed stone carver Edwin Greble.  The epithet reads:

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It was not uncommon for a man of Dr. Jones’ financial stature to commission

such an impressive monument from a stone carver as highly respected and

experienced as Edwin Greble.

 

Mr. Greble’s training evidently started early according to an article in the

Philadelphia Inquirer dated 1883 “He was placed by his father with a marble

mason in New York when a young man and acquired a thorough knowledge of

the business.” Mr. Greble founded his business in 1829 and became one of

the “oldest established and consequently best known Marble-workers in

Philadelphia,” said the article.

 

Greble’s monuments can be found in many cemeteries around the country with

one of the most impressive towering over Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC,

- a large Gothic Revival monument dedicated to Elbert P. Jones. The monument

was designed by the famous architect from Charleston Francis D. Lee and

constructed by E. Greble of Philadelphia.

 

The Madison City Cemetery is graced with many obelisks but none so imposing

as the one marking the Jones plot. The obelisk design harkens back to Egyptian

architecture and is often graced with Christian symbolism, however the Jones

obelisk is quite simple in design. Dr. Jones must have been quite satisfied with his

Greble monument because in his will he “gave 5 shares of his railroad stock to

Morgan Co, income and dividends of which are to be used by said court in keep-

ing up and beautifying my said lot situated in said city of Madison Cemetery.” 

 

Interestingly, Mr. Greble met his demise at age 77 in a train car, “Mr. Greble was

observed to fall forward from his seat and when he was picked up he was found

to be dead,” said the Philadelphia Inquirer on October 24, 1883. 

 

Mr. Greble is buried in the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. Curiously, 

there are no photographs available of his own headstone.

 

Resources:

 

Freedley, E. Exhibiting the Development, Variety, & Statistics of the Manufacturing Industry of Philadelphia in 1857. Philadelphia, PA: Young, E. 1867

 

Keister, D., Stories in Stone. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. 2004

 

FindaGrave, database and images. Edwin Greble, memorial 94183272, created by Meges, maintained by Kelt, citing Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA. (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed 14 February 2018)

 

No Author listed. Philadelphia Enquirer, October 24, 1883, p. 2.

 

Southern Spirit Guide database and images (southernspiritguide.org/2011/07) Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery, created and maintained by Powell, L.