Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

A Bow and an Arrow

Posted on June 27, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

JAKOB ZONDLER Geb. J. 28, Dec. 1829 Gest. J. 25. Marz 1873 Aged 43 Jahre 3 mo. & 27 Tag. The small rounded-top tablet of Jakob Zondler, a German American buried in the Congressional Green Cemetery in North Bend, Ohio, … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

Idealized Beauty

Posted on June 21, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

DOMENICO CAFFERATA FATHER 1870 – 1968 MARIA T. CAFFERATA MOTHER 1878 – 1952 The white marble gravestone for the Cafferata Family in the New St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, depicts a mourning figure draped across the top of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Graces | 2 Comments

Murder in the Courtroom!

Posted on June 14, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

  NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS AUGUST 21, 1868 JULY 27, 1909 “TRIED AND TRUE” GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS – – THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND (CHILD) JOHN 15:13 MURDERED IN A COURT OF JUSTICE, … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Coded Messages of Flowers

Posted on June 7, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

NATHANIEL MERION. 1814 – 1877. — HIS WIFE MADELINE MERION, 1823 – 1883. The gravestone for Nathaniel and Madeline Merion can be found in the Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.  Atop the base is the statue of a mourning … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Graces, Symbolism | 2 Comments

Honoring Those Who Served

Posted on May 25, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Not far outside Bloomington, Indiana, is a small country cemetery.  Like many of the cemeteries in Indiana, the stone carvers’ unique work can be found on the gravestones.  The Mt. Ebal Cemetery has two such stones marking the graves of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Neo-Classical Angel

Posted on May 23, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

The neo-classical angel on this white marble gravestone in the Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio, looks downward with a sorrowful expression as she leans against the torch, the flames curling at its base.   The beautifully carved bas-relief angel is … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels, Symbolism | 3 Comments

COVID-19 Strikes

Posted on May 19, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

During a bad bout of cabin fever, I decided to drive the four hours to Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio, 317 landscaped acres of gravestones, mausoleums, and memorials.  The famous, such as Eddie Rickenbacker and James Thurber, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Crown and the Angel

Posted on May 17, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Elisabeth L. Roark wrote an article about cemetery angels titled, “Embodying Immortality: Angels in America’s Rural Garden Cemeteries, 1850—1900”, pages 56 – 111, 2007 edition of Markers, XXIV, in which she categorized the eight most commonly found types of graveyard angels—grouped … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels, Mausoleums, Symbolism | 2 Comments

Ben-Hur

Posted on May 11, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

In 1959, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) released the epic film, Ben-Hur, which was the most expensive motion picture produced up to that time—costing slightly over 15 million dollars!  As the expression goes, it had a cast of thousands, literally.  10,000 extras were … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves, Symbolism | 1 Comment

The Ultimate Tree Stump Family Plot

Posted on May 2, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

T. S. LLOYD SEPT. 26, 1860 – Jan. 14, 1916 Frances C. Lloyd Feb. 28, 1855 – June 15, 1924 A fellow graveyard enthusiast and reader of the blog reminded me of the Lloyd Family Plot in the famed Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Treestump gravestones | 3 Comments