Category Archives: Epitaphs

The Old Dutch Church Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is one of the oldest graveyards in America.  Though it was established in 1685, some say that the first burials were much earlier than that.  The cemetery has many … Continue reading →

The red sandstone gravestone of William Tompkins and Sally Tompkins in the Old Dutch Burying Ground at Sleepy Hollow, New York, has an epitaph that is a stern message and a strong warning for those who are still alive: Go home dear … Continue reading →

Nothing is as final as death.  The quote, “Dead men tell no lies” reminds us of the silence of the grave.  However, the dead can speak one last time in wills, diaries, letters, and epitaphs.  Though many epitaphs are chosen … Continue reading →

Some epitpahs read as though they are out of a can–that is they read as generic–“Gone But Not Forgotten“, for instance.  While others, even though, they rhyme, which was conventional, still sound personal.  The epitaph of Stephen R. Stryker, who … Continue reading →

Sometimes while I wander through cemeteries I just read the epitaphs.  The following epitaph that I read in the Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, Washington, has really stuck with me because it is poignant and displays the loss and pain … Continue reading →

The weathered square-top white marble tablet in the photograph above is nothing special.  This kind of marker is ubiquitous in American cemeteries.  Not the kind of gravestone that draws attention because it is plain and not adorned with any remarkable … Continue reading →

The epitaph for this 12-year old child speaks to the parent’s grief and the broken “circle” of the family.  There is also a hint that the little girl may have suffered an illness and death brought an end to her … Continue reading →