Stories From the Stones | Megan Barnes | TEDxClinton Central School

Key Concepts

• Cemetery restoration and genealogy as a hobby and therapy
• The "second death" - being forgotten
• Social media as a platform for sharing historical stories
• Seth Miner's views on women's education
• Merilla Miner's life and work as an educator for colored girls
• Abolitionism and the challenges faced by educators of freed slaves
• The importance of remembering and sharing individual stories

Cemetery Restoration and Personal Connection

The speaker accidentally discovered a neglected cemetery near her home and felt compelled to restore it. She describes the initial state of disrepair, with headstones stuck in trees and woodchuck holes. This sparked an obsession with cleaning the cemetery and researching the lives of those buried there.

• Specific Detail: The speaker lived in her house for 11 years before discovering the cemetery less than 100 feet from her front door.
• Example: George, a Revolutionary War soldier who traveled from Rhode Island to Hamilton, NY, and Joseph, who died of an infectious disease.
• Quote: "Everybody has a life and every life matters."

The "Second Death" and Social Media Storytelling

The speaker discusses the concept of a "second death," which is when a person is completely forgotten. To combat this, she started videotaping herself cleaning headstones and sharing the life stories of the deceased on social media.

• Definition: The "second death" is defined as the last time someone says your name out loud and the last time you are remembered.
• Impact: The speaker gained a large following on TikTok (400,000 followers) and other platforms.
• Purpose: To prevent the individuals buried in the cemetery from being forgotten and to share their stories with a wider audience.

Seth Miner and Merilla Miner: A Contrasting Legacy

The speaker shares the story of Seth Miner, a deacon who believed women should only receive a basic education, and his daughter Merilla, who defied his beliefs and became an influential educator.

• Seth Miner's Beliefs: Women only deserved a basic education because they were just going to be wives and mothers.
• Merilla's Early Life: Born with a spinal infection and tuberculosis, she loved to learn and walked miles to school despite her health challenges.
• Merilla's Education: She attended the Young Lady's Domestic Seminary in Clinton, NY, after convincing her father to let her go.

Merilla Miner's School for Colored Girls

Merilla Miner's most significant achievement was founding a school for colored girls in Washington D.C., despite facing opposition and harassment.

• Motivation: Inspired by Prudence Crandall's school and appalled by the treatment of slaves in the South.
• Challenges: Faced financial difficulties, opposition from abolitionists like Garrett Smith (who believed it was a "fool's error" and not fast enough to end slavery), and threats to her safety.
• Support: Received support from Frederick Douglass, Quakers, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, who donated $1,000 from her "Uncle Tom's Cabin" royalties.
• School Details: The school provided a high-quality education, emphasizing cleanliness, manners, and academic excellence.
• Impact: Trained young women to become teachers and advocates for equality.

Merilla Miner's Later Life and Legacy

Merilla Miner's health deteriorated in the 1850s, and she eventually closed her school and moved to California. She died in 1864 from injuries sustained in an accident.

• Decline: Faced physical and mental exhaustion, teacher turnover, and arson attacks on her school.
• Death: Died from injuries sustained in a buggy accident and was buried in an unmarked grave.
• Legacy: Her school was eventually sold and torn down, but the University of the District of Columbia built the Minor Building in its place and established the Minor Fund to train teachers.
• Quote: "Mr. Miner, in this lowly grave a conqueror lies."

Personal Reflection and Call to Action

The speaker concludes by sharing personal anecdotes and encouraging the audience to consider their own legacies.

• Personal Anecdote: The speaker bought and restored her grandmother's favorite church, despite others' doubts.
• Quote: "If you can do a good deed or a noble and true one, do it. Care not for the opinions of the north."
• Call to Action: The speaker asks the audience to imagine their life story being shared on social media 200 years from now and to live a life worth remembering.
• Quote: "When you leave here tonight I would really like you to assess your life things that have happened to you experiences people in your life your goals your dreams your hopes for your future and then I want you to imagine 200 years from now some crazy blonde lady without your permission is going to share your life story on Tik Tok is it going to be a story that people just scroll by what I really hope for you is that it's a story that some people at least most of them are going to stay and listen to every single word."

Synthesis/Conclusion

The speaker's presentation highlights the importance of remembering individual stories and the power of social media to share those stories with a wider audience. Through her cemetery restoration work and genealogical research, she brings forgotten lives back into the public consciousness. The story of Merilla Miner serves as an inspiring example of someone who overcame adversity to make a lasting impact on the world, and the speaker encourages the audience to consider their own legacies and live lives worth remembering.