SWEETLY SLEEPING
Angel Wife
REST DEAR LOVED ONE.
MARY E.
WIFE OF
H. F. JONES
BORN
JULY 28. 1862.
DIED
NOV. 6. 1888.
Clasping hands as in a handshake was a popular Victorian motif and can be found in most American cemeteries in the latter 19th century.
The symbol can take on many meanings and sometimes the cuffs on the wrists can give the viewer a clue and can indicate a particular meaning. If for instance, one cuff has lace and one is a buttoned shirt cuff, it likely represents the matrimonial bond—that link between a married couple. If the cuffs on both wrists are shirt cuffs, it can symbolize fraternal brotherhood—as members of the same organization or union.
In the case above, where the hands descend through the clouds, which symbolize Heaven, it can represent a final farewell or eternal bond between the living and the dead. The handshake may also represent God reaching out for the deceased to bring them into his presence as a welcome to Heaven—the Heavenly handshake.
Gravely Speaking 