EVA PEARL

Dau. of R. C. & G. Ellison

Died Aug. 20, 1901

Aged 1 Yr. 2Ms. & 26 Ds.

Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven

The gray marble gravestone commemorating the grave of Eva Pearl Ellison in the small rural Ellison Cemetery in Harrison County, Iowa, is loaded, a literal potpourri of symbolism. 

The monument is topped with an open book. The book, like nearly any book in the cemetery, can represent the Holy Bible. Often, however, graveyard sculptures of “recording angels” are depicted writing the names of the deceased into an open book.  The angels registered the names of the deceased into the Book of Life.  In Judaism and Christianity, the names of the righteous were recorded in the Book of Life; they were assured entry into Heaven. The Book is referenced many times in the Bible (King James Version), including Revelations, Chapter 20:

Verse 12: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

Verse 13: “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

Verse 14: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.”

Verse 15: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

On the face of the gravestone a curtain tied back with bows opens to a tableau of symbols including a dove and a sunburst, each with significant meaning.

The curtain or the veil symbolizes the exit from one realm to the entrance to another.  Here a little girl has made the passage from this life to the next–the Earthly Realm to the Heavenly Realm.

The dove, like many symbols found on gravestones, have multiple meanings. The dove is one of those.  Several references in the Bible refer to the dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16 reads, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.” 

In Mark 1:10 the Bible says, “And Straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.” Again in John 1:32, the Bible reads, “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.”

Along with the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, the dove is also closely associated with peace, often depicted with a sprig of an olive in its beak. This, too, originated in the Bible. After the waters receded in the story of Noah, the dove appears. Genesis 8:11, “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”   It was a sign of God’s forgiveness.

The dove, with its white color, is also a symbol of purity and innocence and for that reason it is often found the tombstones of children, as in this example.  Thus, the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, peace, and purity.

Again, like many symbols, there can be more than one meaning; there is a duality to the sunburst.  For instance, when looking at the symbol, it is difficult to discern if it is a rising sun or a setting sun—which leads to its dual meaning.  The rising sun represents the resurrection, rebirth, and eternal life.  In fact, many Western cemeteries were oriented to bury the deceased facing the rising sun in anticipation of the return of the Savior God Jesus.  The setting sun, however, represented death and the end of the mortal life.

A gravestone packed with meaning.