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Woman Buried in Keg of Rum In 1857, Silas Martin, a ship's captain, set out from Wilmington on an around-the-world voyage. With him went his thirty-four-year-old son John and twenty-four-year-old daughter Nancy, whose pet family name was Nance. At sea, Nancy grew sick and died. Her grieving father had her body folded into a barrel of rum so that it would be preserved until he could bury her at home. Before Captain Martin could get back, his son was washed overboard during a storm and lost, his body was never recovered despite a long search. When Martin finally did make it back to Wilmington, he buried his daughter still in the cask of rum. He was buried beside her four years later. Nance's grave in Oakdale Cemetery is marked with a stone made to resemble a cross made of logs, next to the larger family marker. The cemetery, which contains many other interesting graves dating back to 1855, is at 520 North Fifteenth Street. The most interesting graves have special markers, and a free itinerary of them can be picked up at the cemetery office at the entrance.
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