Gravely Speaking

Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

In one of the most told and retold stories from the Bible, the snake became associated with the fall of man when he whispered in Eve’s ear and encouraged her to eat from the Tree of Life while Adam and Eve were still living in the Garden of Eden.

The Bible:

Genesis 3, Verse  1: NOW the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.   And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye said not eat of every tree of the garden.

2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.

3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden.  God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5: for God doth know that in the say ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be opened, and ys shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldnest not eat?

12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life.

14: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise her heel.

In most cases, snakes represent sin or Satan in funerary art.  There are exceptions, though, as in the case of the Ouroboros, the Rod of Asclepius, and the Caduceus.

Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

CHARLES F. TAGGART

MAJOR 2^ND PENN. CAVALRY

DIED OCT. 24, 1863

FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED

AT BEALETON STATION, VA.

The segmented-top white marble gravestone that marks Major Charles Taggart’s grave is imbued with symbolism.  Draped over the top of the gravestone is a cloth.  In this case, it likely symbolizes that Taggard’s Earthly garments have been cast aside as his soul makes the transition to the Heavenly plane.

Also carved on the stone is a soldier’s sword in its sheath.  Typically the sheathed sword would represent temperance and restraint.  It is obviously also a nod to honor Major Taggard’s service in the Civil War.  Charles Taggard served in two units—first in 1^st Philadelphia City Troop from November 10, 1857 until August 17, 1861 when he mustered out.  The 2^nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Calvary formed on November 18, 1861 with Taggard rising to the rank of Major.  Nearly from the very beginning when the new unit was formed they saw action when they joined the Army of the Potomac in the Battles of Battles of the 2^nd Bull Run and Chantilly.  Later the unit chased the famous Colonel Mosby, then later saw action in the Battle of Gettysburg in those three fateful days of July in 1863.  But Major Taggard’s last battle was a skirmish at Bealeton Station, Virginia.  Taggard was shot in the knee while leading a charge against Confederate cavalry and infantry units.  Taggart’s leg was amputated but died two days later.  His body was returned to Philadelphia and on October 29^th, 1863 his funeral was held.  Taggard’s body was laid to rest in the Laurel Hill Cemetery by six pallbearers who had served with him in the City Troop.

Owen F. Solomon

1829 – September 27, 1859

Carved atop a shaft of white marble rests a pillow with the hat of a soldier.  There are four symbols on this monument: the soldier’s hat, a sword, the laurel wreath, and the Masonic symbol.  With the exception of the later, the others refer to Solomon’s service in the Army.

The obelisk prominently features an inverted sword referring to Solomon’s military service.  When the sword points downward, tip toward the ground, it symbolizes the handing over of power and victory.

The entry (#1596) in Bvt. Major-General George Washington Cullum’s (Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army) Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, from Its Establishment March 16, 1802 to the Army Reorganization of 1866-67, Second Edition, Volume 2 (published by D. Van Nostrand, 192 Broadway, New York, 1891) details his military career:

Military History:

Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1849, to July 1, 1853, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Bvt. Second Lieut. of Artillery, July 1, 1853.

Served: in garrison at Ft. Moultrie, South Carolina, 1853, — and Ft. Myers,

(Second Lieut., 4th Artillery, Nov. 25, 1853)

Fla., 1853‑54; on frontier duty at Ft. Brady, Michigan, 1854‑55, — and Ft. Brown, Texas, 1856; in garrison at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, 1856‑57; (First Lieut., 4th Artillery, Oct. 31, 1856)

Florida Hostilities against the Seminole Indians, 1857‑58; and on frontier duty at Ft. Leavenworth, as Acting Asst. Adjutant-General, Feb. 6 to May 18, 1858, in quelling Kansas Disturbances, — and Ft. Laramie, Dakota Territory, 1858‑59.

Solomon died, Sep. 27, 1859, at Ft. Laramie, Dakota Territory.

Owen F. Solomon was 30 years old.  Some sources say his body was brought to Atlanta, Georgia, and he was buried in the Oakland Cemetery, while others indicate that he is buried at the Camp Floyd Cemetery in Utah.

MAURICE E. FAGAN

LIEUT. COLONEL

19^TH 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 are crossed, honoring Fagan’s service in the Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. Crossed swords on a gravestone nearly always marks the burial spot of a highly ranked military officer, as in this instance.

Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

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 cold reminders that death would bring that the Puritans carved into their gravestones—flying death’s heads, skulls and crossbones, and gravedigger’s equipment. In addition to the grim reminders of the inevitability of death Puritan gravestones often accompanied the haunting imagery with blunt words such as, “Here lies the body.” Nothing subtle there. The willow and the urn, however, represented a more sentimental view of death. There was a softening of Puritan views during the Great Awakening and the beginning of the Romantic Era.

Village Cemetery, Bar Harbor, Maine

Often the willow and urn is accompanied with words like, “In memory of” or “Sacred to the memory of”. This represented a softer approach. Like many symbols found in the cemetery, they can have multiple meanings, or there can be disagreement about the meaning of the motif—the Willow and urn is no exception. Christians saw the ability of the tree to live seemingly no matter how many of the branches were cut from the tree as a symbol of immortality. Others, however, suggest that the willow and urn predate Christianity to Roman times. The urn was used by Romans to store cremated remains and the willow was associated with the Persephone, the goddess of the underworld. Combined they represent the soul’s journey from the Earthly Realm to the Heavenly Realm. This design coincided with a neo-classical revival that took place mid-18^th Century in America.

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

The monument in the photograph is of a draped urn.  This particular urn is a dramatic example of this symbol, cast in bronze and freestanding.  For the most part, the urns are found on top of columns and mausoleums, ornaments.  The draped urn represents the clothing of the deceased being shed to move from the Earthly realm to the Heavenly realm.

Like most funerary symbols, even nuances make a difference to their meaning.  For instance, if the drape on the urn is fringed, the drapery represents a shroud symbolizing sorrow, the motif that represents a veil that separates the Earth and Heaven, life and death.

City Cemetery, Davenport, Iowa

The urn with a flame emanating from the top, symbolizes eternal remembrance and religious zeal.

Franklin, Indiana

The urn was an almost ubiquitous 19th Century symbol found in nearly every American cemetery.  Often, the urn tops a monument—sometimes depicted with a wreath looped around it.  The wreath, according to Tui Snyders’ book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols, can symbolize “mourning and eternal remembrance.  The laurel wreath also symbolizes victory over death—so even the kind of wreath makes a difference to the meaning.

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

The shattered urn, according to Snyder, signifies old age.

Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The irony of the urn being such a popular 19^th Century funerary symbol is that very few people were cremated when the urn motif was at the height of its popularity.  For instance, during the eight years from 1876 until 1884, only 41 Americans were cremated.  Though the number of cremations in the United States slowly increased, by the 1950s only less 4% of our dead were cremated.  Cremation, though, has been increasing each decade: 1960–3.56%; 1970–4.59%; 1980–9.72%; 1990–17.13%; 2000–26.24%; 2010–35.93%.  Some are predicting that by 2025, almost half of our dead will be cremated.  Maybe the urn will re-emerge as a symbol for the 21st Century.

Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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 is an atmosphere of peace and rest surrounding the very presence of this remarkable work of art.  The central portion with its symbolic figure and delicately draped ornamentation blends naturally into the monolithic exedra on either side.  There is a life-like quality in the statue and an exactness of detail throughout, made possible by the use of that fine grained, even textured granite, Victoria White.”

The monument described is of the Art Nouveau style demonstrated by the long fluid vines of the florals adorning the monolith in the center and designs trailing into parts of the seats to either side.  The Art Nouveau movement was a bridge between Neoclassicism and Modernism and reached its popularity from 1890 to 1905.  Luminary artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; glass designers Rene Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Spanish architect Gaudi among others also used long flourishing lines inspired by florals and plants in their work.  Not all of the lines in the exedra are rounded and shows the emergence of Modernism in the design of this piece.

Further demonstrating the Art Nouveau design of this monument is the look of the mourning figure in the center.  The figure has the characteristics of many of the women portrayed during the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as the Gibson girl that was popularized at that time.

Generally an exedra is a semi-circular structure, often with a bench with a high back.  This exedra breaks with the traditional design by being a straight bench on either side of the monolith.  Sometimes there is an architectural feature in the center of the exedra, often with statuary or the family name as in this example from the Dodds Granite Company.  In antiquity the exedra was designed to facilitate philosophical discussion and debate.  In cemetery architecture the exedra is usually a part of a landscape design.

An oil lamp is carved into the monolith at the feet of the mourning figure.  A flickering flame can be seen coming from the lamp providing light.  The Bible verse, II Samuel: Chapter 22, verse 29, says, “For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.”  The light emanating from the lamp represents the pathway to Truth and to Knowledge.

I have also found this exact design in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, marking the grave of:

ALONZO B. SEE

OCTOBER 25, 1849

DECEMBER 16, 1941

I also found one at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California.  There is a notable difference between the examples in Brooklyn and Colma–the exedras to either side of the monolith are longer than the exedra in the example in Muncie.

ALBERT GALLATIN

The Dodds Granite Company catalog and many other gravestone and monument company brochures can be found at the Stone Quarries and Beyond Website: http://quarriesandbeyond.org/cemeteries_and_monumental_art/cemetery_stones.html.

The Stone Quarries and Beyond Website was created by Peggy B. and Patrick Perazzo. It focuses on historic stone quarries, stone workers and companies, and related subjects such as geology. Whenever possible links of finished products are provided on the Website. There is a “Quarry Articles” section that presents articles, booklets, and links from the late 1800s to early 1900s, including the 1856 “The Marble-Workers’ Manual.” The “Cemetery Stones and Monuments” section provides references and resources, including many old monument magazines, catalogs, price lists, and a photographic tour “From Quarry to Cemetery Monuments.”