Little Bonnie Pauline - Remembered
By Ron Brantner
As I was researching some lateral branches of my family tree, I noted that a distantly-related family had buried their four-year-old daughter at Corona, New Mexico in 1918. I knew that the family lived in Belen, New Mexico for a long period of time, and that the little daughter had died of pneumonia. But a burial in out-of-the-way Corona struck me as odd, considering the known circumstances. I wondered if this was another of those trailside burials that sometimes happened when people were traveling by wagon in the still-young Southwest. I was also intrigued because Corona lies in the northwest corner of Lincoln County where I reside.
I also knew that the young girl's father was suffering with tuberculosis, called consumption in those days, and that the family had left their home in Dickens County, Texas and traveled to New Mexico in search of a healthier climate. There was no cure for tuberculosis in those days and the only hope was a drier climate to minimize the problem.
The road from Clovis through Fort Sumner to Belen was a primary route from West Texas to central New Mexico and Belen was an often-mentioned destination. So what was this family doing off the beaten path – in Corona? And yet, I was told by relatives that they had actually seen the grave at Corona, but they knew little else about the circumstances.
As a genealogist, I maintain a family history website that includes pictures of ancestors and grave markers in addition to family history and genealogy. So I resolved that, while I may never know the full story of this little girl and her burial, I was the closest relative to Corona, and my memorial to little Bonnie Pauline would be a picture of her grave on my website. As I thought of this possibility, I said to myself, "Don't fret, little Bonnie Pauline. You will be remembered!"
Not long afterward, on a return trip from Albuquerque, I was exuberant as I drove south through the open countryside on Highway 54 toward Corona. The thought of finding the grave of this little stranger excited me, as only a fellow genealogist might fully understand. I kept repeating my little mantra, "Don't fret, little Bonnie Pauline. You will be remembered."
The small Corona cemetery was easily found, being about one-half mile southeast of town on Highway 247. Once there, I quickly donned my weed-wading boots and grabbed the camera, already feeling the excitement of the find. The cemetery was an unkempt mixture of old graves, many unmarked, and some recent graves. I walked every row of the cemetery to no avail. I failed to find the grave.
I drove away from the cemetery feeling downcast and defeated, muttering silently, "I'm sorry, Pauline. I guess I'll have to search elsewhere." In my mind, I thought the grave must be somewhere in the adjoining Torrance County. Also in my mind, this search had become both a challenge and a self-imposed obligation to Bonnie Pauline.
Later, upon further inquiry of relatives, I was reassured that the grave was at Corona and that the family had lived there for a brief period. A first cousin recalled that, about 1950, while visiting the family at Belen, they had traveled to Corona and placed a "natural," or homemade stone at the grave.
Several months later I made a return trip to Corona, armed with these new assurances. On the way, I muttered a prayer to the Lord that I might need some extraordinary help on this visit.
I now knew to look for a "natural" stone, so I ignored the customary markers. I started in the older section, and after about 20 minutes of walking the rows, I glanced down in the weeds and there it was – a rectangular, concrete block with "Pauline Perkins" scrawled on it. At the foot was a small concrete block with "P P" inscribed, indicating that this was a child's grave. I was thrilled at the find, but also disappointed that the stone had no dates to reflect her brief years: May 22, 1914 - Dec. 5, 1918.
After taking my pictures, I counted the rows from the center lane, and then counted the plots down the row from the north side. I knew I would want to add these directions to those of the cemetery itself on my website.
As I departed the cemetery, I thanked the Lord for His guidance and for my continued elation. This time, my silent song of success was, "I found you, little Bonnie Pauline! And I will plant flowers beside your humble little stone on my website, where time stands still and the weeds never grow. And you will be remembered and loved by future generations who visit your electronic graveside."
The drive home was in the late afternoon – the time of long shadows – when the horizontal sunlight lights up the boards on wooden fences, and the white and tan colors of the small antelope herds are aglow as they graze. In the golden light of the dying day, I was reminded that, while our lives are fragile and temporary, history remains dynamic across the ages. Bonnie Pauline, the energetic little four-year-old, is no more. But her memory will continue, never-the-less.
"Don't fret, little Bonnie Pauline Perkins. You are remembered!"
Ruidoso, Lincoln County, New Mexico
November 17, 2002
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