Category Archives: Symbolism

Crossed Swords

Posted on January 22, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

MAURICE E. FAGAN LIEUT. COLONEL 19TH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY FEBRUARY 4, 1863 IN LOVING REMBRANCE OF MY BROTHER Lieutenant Colonel Maurice E. Fagan’s segmented-top white marble gravestone features a banner hanging from a rifle.  In the center the banner, two swords … Continue reading →

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The Ubiquitous Urn

Posted on January 16, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

According to James Deetz and Edwin S. Dethlefsen, in their groundbreaking article, “Death’s Head, Cherub, Urn and Willow” the willow first made its appearance in cemeteries in the early 18th century.  The motif represented a break from the stark and … Continue reading →

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Dodds Granite Company, Muncie, Brooklyn, and Colma

Posted on January 9, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

JOHN EDGAR JOHNSON SR. AUGUST 16, 1873 MARCH 30, 1919 The John Edgar Johnson Sr. monument in the Beach Grove Cemetery in Muncie, Indiana,is described and pictured in the Dodds Granite Company catalog.  The advertising copy described the monument: “There … Continue reading →

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Anchor

Posted on December 19, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

CAPT. STEPHEN HIGGINS BORN DEC. 31, 1804 DIED SEP. 4, 1862 AGED 58 YEARS  We shall meet again, till then, farewell. The sign marking the cemetery just a block off the town square in Bar Harbor reads in part: “VILLAGE … Continue reading →

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The Portals

Posted on December 17, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

The doors to mausoleums are often imbued with symbolism.  In fact, the door itself represent a portal.  Portals come in many forms—a door, a window, even your eyes and your mouth are considered portals.  Many superstitions about death concern portals, … Continue reading →

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Calla Lily

Posted on December 14, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

In loving remembrance of MARY E. Wife of John P. Eimer, Born Aug. 12, 1855, Died Sept. 28, 1888 Tis hard to break the tender cord When love has bound the heart Tis hard, so hard, to speak the words … Continue reading →

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Cross Potent or Crutch Cross

Posted on November 30, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

The symbol carved into the black granite gravestone in the St. Nickolas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Chicago is of a cross surrounded by a wreath.  This cross is known as a cross potent or crutch cross.  It is a heraldic … Continue reading →

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Seven Ages of Men

Posted on November 27, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

Samuel Hay Kauffmann February 24, 1898 January 12, 1971 The memorial commissioned in St. Paul’s Rock Creek Cemetery and created by sculptor William Ordway Partridge (April 11, 1861 – May 22, 1930) for Samuel Kauffmann, long-time owner of the Washington … Continue reading →

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The Sarcophagus

Posted on November 17, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

LORETTA RECKMEYER 1893 – 1959 WILLIAM F. SANGER 1875 – 1955 CORNELIUS O. SANGER 1869 – 1943 MARGARET SCHULER – SANGER 1871 — 1929 The large sarcophagus of the Sanger family in the Calvary Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a … Continue reading →

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Gone home! Gone home!

Posted on November 7, 2017 by gravelyspeaking

The tall columned monument in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine, marks the graves of Carlton and Amelia Bragg.  The stained white marble gravestone is topped with a botonee cross characterized by trefoil at the end of each arm … Continue reading →

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