Monthly Archives: January 2016

Babies on the Half Shell

Posted on January 31, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

The Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog made its debut in 1893. The catalogs carried everything: shoes, watches, jewelry, sewing machines, musical instruments, baby carriages, saddles, bicycles, Edison’s gramophones. And, yes, they even carried gravestones. In 1906, the catalog advertised a … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Graves | 4 Comments

Heartless

Posted on January 27, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

One of the most oft visited graves in the Père Lachaise Cemetery at Paris, France, is that of Frédéric François Chopin (February 22 or 1 March 1810 – October 17, 1849), the Polish composer and prodigy who was considered one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves | Leave a comment

The Flint Granite Company

Posted on January 24, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

  The Flint Granite Company of New York was, according to their brochure, “builders of artistic memorials in granite, marble and bronze.” Like many companies, The Flint Granite Company issued a catalog for potential customers showing the various sorts of … Continue reading →

Posted in Presidential graves | Leave a comment

Cherubs

Posted on January 21, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

FRANK F. JR. BELOVED SON OF FRANK F. & IRMA H. JONES AUG. 5, 1916 – SEPT. 12, 1919 Sculptures of cherubs often adorn the graves of children. Here, two examples are found in the Elmwood Cemetery at Charlotte, North … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels | Leave a comment

Doppelganger Revisited

Posted on January 19, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

Doppelganger is a word that refers to two people who look the same.  Look-a-likes.   It is a German word that translates to “double goer”.  Popular television shows run photos next to each other showing actors and actresses together to show … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

The Lamb and the Sea Shell

Posted on January 16, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

EULIS CALLOWAY FEB. 1, 1900 FEB. 27, 1932 Gone but not forgotten. This small square-top soft white marble tablet in the Elmwood Cemetery at Charlotte, North Carolina, shows a lamb, nestled into a sea shell.  The shell is a symbol of … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 2 Comments

The Wreath

Posted on January 15, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

Various gravestones in the Elmwood Cemetery at Charlotte, North Carolina, display a wreath. The wreath on the William E. Beaver (May 7, 1871 – January 29, 1949) and Nancy J. Joyner Beaver (February 19, 1871 – June 25, 1939) family … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

Monument to Heroism

Posted on January 12, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

  ERECTED OCTOBER 10, 1883 BY THE VOLUNTEER FIREMEN OF CHARLOTTE AS A LASTING TRIBUTE TO THEIR DEAR COMRADES — FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED MAY 20, 1875 — INDEPENDENT HOOK AND LADDER CO. ORGANIZED AUGUST 4, 1868 — PIONEER FIRE COMPANY … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

Woodsmen

Posted on January 9, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

As the story goes, while listening to a Sunday sermon at the First Congregational Church in Lyons (now Clinton), Iowa, given by Pastor Sydney Crawford, Joseph Cullen Root heard the pastor tell a parable about the good that came from … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Treestump gravestones | 1 Comment

Mother and Infant

Posted on January 5, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

HARRIET JOSEPHINE DAUGHTER OF JAMES & M.A. ABLAKE WIFE OF J.S.M. DAVIDSON BORN DECEMBER 19TH 1836 MARRIED OCT. 23RD 1856 & DIED OCT. 22ND 1861 YEA THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH I FEAR NO … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels | Leave a comment