Gravely Speaking

The unicorn, carved into a gravestone in the Clear Creek Cemetery in rural Indiana, represents purity, steadfastness, and the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In Medieval times unicorns were depicted as protectors of divine sacrifice.

C. PENN WETTLAUFER

OCT. 9, 1935

JAN. 11, 2000

AGE QUOD AGIS

Conrad Penn Wettlaufer was a native son of Buffalo.  He hailed from a proud lineage descended from a signer of the Declaration of Independence and of William Penn, the namesake of the State of Pennsylvania.  According to his obituary, Wettlaufer was a “well-known local businessman, economic-development consultant, professor, and a member of a prominent Buffalo family.  He was also a “certified emergency medical services provider and an instructor in paramedic for many years.”

Wettlaufer’s light gray unpolished granite serpentine topped gravestone in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York, features a bas-relief sculpture of a lone standing buffalo.  The only mention I can find in connection with funerary symbolism regarding a buffalo is found in the International Journal of Religion, 5(8), 179-190, where the indigenous Toraja people of Indonesia consider the buffalo as a marker of a person’s nobility or social status determined by how many buffalo are sacrificed at a person’s funeral.  It is doubtful that there is any connection between Mr. Wettlaufer and the indigenous people of Indonesia.  More likely the sculpture reflects his deep involvement in his community and his pride in his birthplace.

His obituary also mentions that Wettlaufer was a ferocious squash player.  So much, so, in fact, his fellow competitors referred to him as “The Czar.”  His epitaph, “Age Quod Agis” which roughly translates to “do what you are doing, concentrate on the task at hand, most likely refers to not only his intense focus on his community, but his fierce play on the squash court!

JOHN F. GROW

NOV. 10, 1873—Oct. 2. 1923

IDA, HIS WIFE

JUNE 19, 1880—SEPT. 11, 1962

The John and Ida Grow open book tombstone can be found in the Beech Grove Cemetery, in Bedford, Indiana. The open book is a common symbol found on gravestones. The motif can represent the Word of God in the form of the Bible or, likely in this case, symbolize the Book of Life with the names of the just registered.

This small tree-stump tombstone of 33-year-old Melia Baxter Roberts in the Knightsbridge Cemetery in rural Bloomington, Indiana, represents a tree not fully grown in width or height.  This tree-stump tombstone is a metaphor in limestone, representing a life that has been cut short. 

In both tombstones, three fern fronds are twinning up the front of their gravestones.  Numbers are significant in the Bible and the number “three” may represent the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

The fern itself is a plant that thrives in shade underneath trees and wooded areas.  The ferns in both cases are secondary to the main gravestone symbolism—the open book and the tree-stump.  The fern, often not first noticed in nature, represents humility, solitude, and sincerity.

MELIA BAXTER ROBERTS

1895—1928

We don’t often think of the classical orders—Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—as having gender, but the ancients did.

Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh

The Doric Order, associated with the Greek god of Apollo, represents masculinity which can be seen with its sturdy columns.  The height to diameter ratio of the column is an average of 7 to 1, giving the column a stout robust appearance.  The capital consists of a simple square abacus—top plate—and a rounded echinus which is a cushion shaped element directly below the top plate.  The shaft is often plain but if is fluted it traditionally has 20 grooves per column running vertically. The column sits directly on the stylobate without a base.

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

The Ionic Order, associated with the Greek goddess Athena, represents femininity which can be seen with its more slender columns.  The height to diameter ratio of the column is 9 to 1 giving the column a delicate appearance.  The most distinctive feature of the Ionic column is that it is topped with a scroll-shaped volute on either side, connected by a horizontal band called the canalis, often decorated with an egg-and-dart motif.  The volutes were inspired by natural forms such as seashells and ram’s horns.  The fluted shaft has 24 grooves per column running vertically.  Unlike the Doric column, Ionic columns rest on a base.

Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

The Corinthian Order, associated with the Greek god Asclepius, represents the young maiden which can be seen with its even more slender columns.  The height to diameter ratio of the column is 10 to 1 giving the column an elegant appearance.  The most distinctive feature of the Corinthian column is that it is topped with a highly decorated capital featuring intricately layers of carved acanthus leaves among other floral motifs.  The fluted shaft has 24 grooves per column running vertically.  Like the Ionic column, Corinthian columns rest on a base.

The Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut sent out enterprising door-to-door salesmen armed with a catalog to show customers the full range of “white bronze” markers the company produced. These grave markers came in a wide assortment of sizes and shapes and were somewhat like grave marker erector sets. The more elaborate markers had a shell of sorts and then various panels could be bolted on according to the tastes of the family ordering the grave marker. In this way, each marker could be “customized” to the tastes of the individual.  Though the company billed the markers as “white bronze” they were cast zinc.  The markers are distinguishable by their bluish-gray tint. Many of the designs mimicked designs that were commonly found carved from stone.  The company set up their first subsidiary in Detroit, Michigan. Others followed in Philadelphia, New Orleans, St. Thomas, Ontario, Des Moines, and Chicago.

Another way to order a gravestone was directly from the Sears Roebuck catalog, which was mailed directly to households across America.  Founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck in 1893, the company, the Amazon of its day, offered a wide array of household merchandise and became one of the largest retailers in the country, even offering a large selection of gravestones.  The company mailed separate catalogs featuring their wide array of gravestones to order at relatively inexpensive prices, plus shipping, of course.

Michelangelo once said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” The great artist was merely helping the sculpture emerge.

The Schulze monument in the Hermann Sons Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas is an example of an “emerging gravestone.”  That is, the gravestone is not finished being carved with part of the stone still rough cut.  The entire sculpture beneath has not been completely revealed. Here, however, the unfinished stone is not waiting for the sculpture to be completed but is actually part of the message.  Emerging stones are often believed to mirror the unfinished life of the person for whom the stone is dedicated, perhaps an indication that their life was cut short.

JENNIE POLAND

DAUGHTER OF

MRS. NELLIE GUERBER,

DIED SEPT. 23, 1878, 18 YEARS,

Gone to join the Angels.

The Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut published a 127-page catalog of their designs in October 1882.  The company’s range of grave markers are depicted along with their height and cost. The Jennie Poland marker, in the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York, a highly ornamented 12-foot 10 inch “bronze” monument, can be found on page 57 costing a whopping $340, which is estimated at slightly more than $11,000 today. 

The catalog also included a list of “Bas-Relief Emblems, such as we will cast solid on the monuments WITHOUT ANY COST to purchasers…”  On page 5 of the catalog, that list included “Kneeling Angels, right and left.” 

That emblem appeared on Jennie Poland’s grave marker, along with the epitaph, “Gone to join the Angels.” 

The exact meaning of two praying angels is difficult to discern for certain and can vary is commonly understood to symbolize intercession and guardianship.  Here the angels most likely serve as protectors against evil.

The Niver Family monument in the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York, depicts a mourning figure—in this instance, an angel. We know it is an angel by its wings.  Christian art began depicting angels with wings in the fourth century.  Before then, angels were represented in several different forms–sometimes in human form, but they were also represented as a doves, or even as a hand reaching down from Earth from the Heavens.  Beginning with the reign of Constantine, angels began being portrayed with wings, as is this figure, sullen with its eyes cast toward Heaven.

The angel here is seated and holding a passionflower. The passionflower was so named by Spanish Christian missionaries because they saw the flower imbued with religious symbolism and identified the parts of the flower and associated them with the passion of Jesus Christ. 

Then ten petals represent the ten faithful disciples.  The two apostles who were not considered were St. Peter, the denier, and Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.

The filaments that circle the center of the flower represent Christ’s crown of thorns.

The curled filaments represent the whips used in flagellation of Christ.

The white color was equated with Christ’s innocence.

The styles symbolize the nails.

Flanking the name plate are poppies.  In cemetery symbolism the poppy represents eternal sleep.

Sometimes artisans display their craft on their gravestones, as did this gondola maker who is buried in the San Michele Cemetery in Venice, Italy.

Many organizations were founded in the later part of the 19th Century that required the prospective members demonstrate that their ancestors had been in the United States before a certain date or that their ancestors had served in a war.  Examples of these organizations are Sons of the American Revolution (1889), The Daughters of the American Revolution (1890), The Daughters of the War of 1812 (1892), The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (1896), The National Society, Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth Century (1896), The Mayflower Society of Descendants (1897), and The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America XVII (1915).

The National organization of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861 – 1865 (DUV) was founded May 30, 1885, by Olive Howard, Harriet Knapp, Eva Merwin, Frank Merwin, and Bertha Martin.  On June 3, 1885, the first meeting was held at the home of Eva Meerwin, 419 First Street, SE Massillon, Ohio, with the purpose of preserving the history of the Civil War.

The organization accepts all females, eight years or older, who can document lineal descent from an honorably discharged soldier or sailor who served in the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War (1861 – 1865), and those who died or were killed while serving in the armed services of the Union between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. The organization maintains a museum and library dedicated to preserving the history of the war at their headquarters at 503 S. Walnut, Springfield, Illinois.

The Daughters of Union Veterans organization’s motto is, “Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty. Their mission is, “To spread widely the teachings of patriotism, that those who dwell in this broad of ours will so live that, in peace or in war, there shall be no stain on “The Flag Our Fathers Saved”.

The metal marker is a replica of the organization’s insignia, a laurel wreath, surrounding the intertwined letters D U V. The laurel is a traditional symbol of victory and military glory from as far back as the times of the Romans.

Just as the women of the North had founded an organization to honor the service of their soldiers, so did the women of the South.  The organization was founded in 1894, by two women, Caroline Meriwether Goodlet and Anna Davenport Raines.  The purpose of the UDC is to preserve the history of the Confederacy, honor the memory of those who served, and to preserve and mark historical locations.  Their motto is, “Love, Live, Pray, Think, Dare.”

Any female 16 years of age or older who can document direct lineal or collateral descent from a soldier who served honorably in the Army, Navy or Civil Service of the Confederate States of America is eligible to join.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy maintain a library at their headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.  They preserve and house a collection of rare books, letters, diaries, and other papers relevant and important to the history of the war.  The UDC also awards a scholarship for original research about Confederate history.

The metal marker is a replica of the emblem of the UDC.  A laurel, gathered together with a ribbon with two dates 61 and 65, the beginning and ending of the war, surrounds a Confederate flag and the intertwined letters U D C.