Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

The Beehive

Posted on March 8, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

Wm LOSSING 1848 – 19 8 (It appears as if the “1” on the tombstone has been chiseled off) The beehive is often found on the graves of members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows or the Freemasons. To … Continue reading →

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Cattails

Posted on March 4, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

MINNIE C. Wife of A. J. STONER Dec. 16, 1893 23 Yrs 11 Mos. 18 Dys The Victorian Era lasted from about 1832 until Queen Victoria’s death in 1903.  The era was an eclectic period in the decorative arts with … Continue reading →

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Sunburst

Posted on March 2, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

SCOTT JAMIESON 1878 – 1909 until the morning of the resurrection. Occasionally a gravestone is fashioned in a way so that the symbolism is matched to the epitaph, as is the case.  Here, an incised carving shows curtains being drawn … Continue reading →

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The Trumpet and the Book

Posted on February 27, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

DAVID MORAN BORN OCT. 14, 1842. DIED MAY 28, 1906. HIS BELOVED WIFE MARY BORN MAY 15, 1845. DIED APR. 4, 1908 MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE On the top of this gravestone, a youthful angel is looking upward toward … Continue reading →

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Lyre

Posted on February 21, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

  Some of the most clear examples of symbolism can be found on the zinc markers found in nearly every graveyard.  Here, is an example of a lyre traditionally seen as a symbol of Apollo, the Greek god of music. In Christian symbolism … Continue reading →

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Sorrow

Posted on February 15, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

In the poem, On Another’s Sorrow, by William Blake, the poet asks: Can I see another’s woe, And not be in sorrow too? Can I see another’s grief, And not seek for kind relief? A mourning figure is carves into … Continue reading →

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Hands

Posted on February 13, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

Mary Crawford’s white marble tombstone in the Calvary Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, is a Victorian mélange of symbolism, typical for the age.  The Victorians knew how to do funerals and all things death. The top of the stone depicts swirling … Continue reading →

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Open Book

Posted on February 9, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

  LAURA A. DAUT. OF J.F. & M.A. BROWN DIED January 17, 1875 AGED 16 YRS. 1 MO. 13 Ds. The white marble tombstone in the Greenlawn Cemetery at Franklin, Indiana, is topped with an open book that has a … Continue reading →

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Doppelgangers

Posted on February 5, 2014 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 … Continue reading →

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Open Gates

Posted on February 1, 2014 by gravelyspeaking

The red granite block marker above has an opening cut into it.  The opening has two bronze gates slightly open and set into it.  Open gates are a common symbol found in American cemeteries. Most often the open gates symbol is found carved … Continue reading →

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