Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Memorializing Victorian Children

Posted on August 9, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

The gravestones of children are the ones that are uniquely poignant.  It is not natural for  parents to have a child die before they do—children are the future.  The loss is devastating and leaves the parents bereft.  A hole is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Small Stairway to Heaven

Posted on August 2, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

There is a weathered marble gravestone with the words, “Children of H. A. and S. A. Smith” carved into the plinth.  The small white marble gravestone is in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Washington, Indiana.  Unfortunately, the marble is so … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 3 Comments

Tragedy at Winter Quarters

Posted on July 26, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

The Pioneer Mormon Cemetery in Florence, now a northern suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, was not far from where I grew up.  And depending on how I went to or came home from elementary school, the tiny cemetery was on my … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists | 2 Comments

Tribute to a Fisherman

Posted on July 20, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

EMIL AMBOS Born April 22, 1844 Died March 26, 1898 Along one of the winding avenues in the serene and park-like Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio, is the statue of Emil Ambos, a well-regarded and celebrated bon vivant in … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists | 3 Comments

Grave Marker Erector Set

Posted on July 3, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

DR. WILLIAM HANNA DIED JANUARY 8, 1878 AGED 33 YRS. 9 MOS. 22 DAYS HUSBAND & FATHER, WE MISS THEE. WE SHALL NOT MEET AGAIN, GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD. The tallest … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Zinc Markers | Leave a comment

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 →

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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