Monthly Archives: March 2014

Rose Blossom

The monument for the Beck family in the Greenwood Cemetery, at Phoenix, Arizona, has atop it a young female figure. Her head is bent forward, she is looking down in reflection and sorrow, while she is holding a rose bloom in … Continue reading

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Optimism dashed

  HOME AT LAST DORIS MARIE SEWARD 1917 — 20             1999 SHE WAS AN OPTIMIST I.U. CLASS OF 1938  There is a tiny cemetery in the middle of the Indiana University campus next to the Beck Chapel.  Only a … Continue reading

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Acorn

THOMAS K. ELVEY DEC. 26, 1843 AUG. 13, 1902 AT REST Sitting on top of this gray granite gravestone in the Greenwood Cemetery at Phoenix, Arizona, is a large acorn, turned upside down.  The acorn, seed of the mighty oak, … Continue reading

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The Crown

The crown is a fairly common symbol found in American cemeteries.  Sometimes it can be found as an incised carving at the top of the gravestone—often in conjunction with other symbolism such as palm leaves.  Sometimes the crown is made … Continue reading

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The Beehive

Wm LOSSING 1848 – 19 8 (It appears as if the “1” on the tombstone has been chiseled off) The beehive is often found on the graves of members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows or the Freemasons. To … Continue reading

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Cattails

MINNIE C. Wife of A. J. STONER Dec. 16, 1893 23 Yrs 11 Mos. 18 Dys The Victorian Era lasted from about 1832 until Queen Victoria’s death in 1903.  The era was an eclectic period in the decorative arts with … Continue reading

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Sunburst

SCOTT JAMIESON 1878 – 1909 until the morning of the resurrection. Occasionally a gravestone is fashioned in a way so that the symbolism is matched to the epitaph, as is the case.  Here, an incised carving shows curtains being drawn … Continue reading

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