In June of 1852, Sarah Ann Thomas Boone and Asenath Campbell Thomas passed away within 6 days of each other. Both were young women in their twenties, and seem to have been related: possibly sister-in-laws. Historical records indicate that both women had both recently given birth. In fact, it is likely Asenath passed away during childbirth, as her daughter (of the same name) was born the day Asenath passed away. Sadly, her daughter is buried near her, aged just 4 months. That is about all I know about these two. The families, for whatever reason, had both graves “hooded” with metal cages. Did they believe that the tragic loss of both these women was because they were involved with the occult? That seems unlikely. The missing piece to this mys- tery may lie in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Throughout most of the 1800’s, Philadelphia was considered a world leader in advancing medi- cal treatment and education. Schools such as the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Med- ical College as well as private anatomy schools were focusing on pathological anatomy. Popu- larized in France, pathological anatomy was focused on discovering the causes of death and understanding the effect different diseases had on tissue and organs. That meant students and professors needed access to newly deceased bodies. Not only did some in the medical field object to this, the public (unsurprisingly) found it distasteful as well. But, as true now as it was then, if there is a demand for something, someone will find a way to supply it. This demand led to grave robbing in rural areas and sending the bodies to the schools in Philadelphia. These young women would have been highly desirable in the academ- ic world – both were young and had recently been pregnant. Most of the cadavers the schools were obtaining were executed convicts or vagrants with no one to claim them. The cages may have been there to dissuade opportunistic thieves from disturbing the bodies. Whether it was because of witches or grave robbers, I found both explana-
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