Since I was sort of in the area and the libraries were closed on Sunday I drove up to South Bend to visit the grave of U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax who served under Ulysses Grant.

It’s been a while since I last added to my dead president and vice president collection and with Colfax, I have 30 of the 41 dead vice presidents alongside the 34 of 38 dead presidents.

City Cemetery is a lovely old cemetery just west of the center of South Bend. Colfax’s grave is right at the entrance from Colfax Street, of course, but as I drove in, I was focused on finding a shady spot to park the car and thus missed it. That lack of attention made for a more pleasant visit since it was a beautiful summer afternoon for a walk among the tombstones.

I also found the graves of President William McKinley’s grandparents, who died on the same day, 20 August 1847, which was also their wedding anniversary, according to notes on a cemetery map posted outside the office.

I suppose once I finish my collection, I could start visiting the ancestral graves of the presidents so my affection for wandering through cemeteries doesn’t seem so odd.