Before I was the unofficial family historian, I took photos of gravestones.
Cemeteries have never been scary places for me - quite the opposite. I am very comfortable in cemeteries.
I love cemetery art. That's why I can hardly bear to pass up a cemetery when I travel across my state, cameras riding safely in the backseat.
The older the cemetery is, the more I'm drawn to it. The older ones have gravestones full of symbolism.
If you are as fond of funerary art as I am, then
Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography, by Douglas Keister, is a worthwhile investment. It even has a coated cover so you can take it graving on foggy and misty days...
Disclosure: I took all of the gravestone photos that appear in this entry, with the exception of the ones from Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, GA. Those photos were taken by a co-worker and her husband who know what a fool for cemeteries I am, and were given to me with their permission to post.
AngelsSome of the most beautiful depictions of angels I've ever seen are in cemeteries.
Angels get special treatment in
Stories in Stone, including a very interesting history of angels.
To date, my all-time favorite angel is this one.
Oakland Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARThe back is just as detailed as the front.
Calvary Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR
Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARThis one is interesting to me, because it combines a number of symbols.
Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARIn addition to the angel, there's a cross, a wreath, a scroll and a crown. The crown is symbolic of triumph over death, the scroll symbolizes written scripture, and the wreath means victory over death.
Children's GravesChildren's graves, even more recent ones, are frequently adorned with lambs.
Carter Cemetery, Russell, White Co., AR
Shiloh Cemetery, Pope Co., ARCouples' SymbolsProbably everyone has seen the modern day indicator of the married couple - a double gravestone, sometimes with entwined rings on it, as well as the date of the marriage.
I think one of my favorite "couple" symbols is the one of clasped hands - one with a masculine cuff on the sleeve, and one with a frillier cuff. It was a very popular symbol in the 19th century.
Ford Cemetery, Pope Co., AR
Shiloh Cemetery, Pope Co., ARThe arch symbolizes the passage to heaven for both of them, and joins their stones.
Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., TNFraternal OrganizationsI had no idea my g-g-grandfather, James Littleton Burris, was a Freemason until I studied his gravestone. I'm still trying to figure out g-g-grandma's (Elizabeth Adeline (Ashmore) Burris) gravestone symbology, because the star for the Order of the Eastern Star (the women's auxiliary of the Freemasons) should be a five point star with the tip pointing
down.
St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., ARWoodmen of the World gravestones are all over Arkansas, although I see fewer Women of Woodcraft stones (below the WoW stone).
Calvary Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR
Edgewood Cemetery, North Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARThis one combines a drape with the Masonic symbol...
Atkins City Cemetery, Atkins, Pope Co., AROdd Fellows -
Friendship,
Love, and
Truth...
Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., TNThe Mosaic Templars...
Robinson Cemetery, Faulkner Co., ARReligious SymbolsCrosses come in all shapes, sizes, and not all have the same meaning.
A
Maltese cross. (It took me quite a while to figure this one out.)
Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Pulaski Co., ARA
German-Russian cross with a sunburst in a Catholic cemetery...
St. Peter and St. Paul Cemetery, Logan Co., ARi h s is derived from the first three letters in Jesus' name using the Greek alphabet: Iota, Eta, Sigma. (A variation sometimes seen is
IHC, using the Roman alphabet.)
Calvary Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR
Edgewood Cemetery, North Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARThe hand pointing up to heaven (look at the bottom of the stone)...
Tate Cemetery, Pope Co., ARI love the detail in the angel at the bottom of this flore' (floriated) cross:
St. Peter and St. Paul Cemetery, Logan Co., ARMortality SymbolsFrom my pal at the office, a wonderful example of one of the earliest versions of the
death head that was used in the United States, beginning in 1752:
Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA
Photo courtesy of Larry and Darla FreemanThe hourglass...
Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA
Photo courtesy of Larry and Darla FreemanInverted torches...
Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARDrapes - on obelisks and urns...
Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR
Oakland Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARA tree, cut short...
Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., TNOther SymbolsThe mourner, often shown as a weeping woman.
Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., TN
Calvary Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., ARThe weeping willow, a mourning symbol...
Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA
Photo courtesy of Larry and Darla FreemanThe dove, universally known as a symbol of peace.
Alpine Cemetery, Clark Co., ARStones placed on top of a gravestone come from the history of many cultures, including Native American tribes and nomadic Jews, who tended graves marked with mounds of stones in their travels.
Oakland Cemetery, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
