Cemetery symbols used by Stonecarvers and Monument Companies from the 1700's forward included traditional religious symbols as well as symbols borrowed from art and literature.
ANCHOR ~ Identified with Saint Nicholas, patron Saint of seaman and a Christian symbol for hope and steadfastness
ANGELS ~ Trumpeting Angels of heaven accompany the soul heavenward announcing the arrival
ARROWS ~ Fatal arrows sent by God
BATS ~ Bats of the underworld
BELLS ~ Tolling for the dead
BIRD ~ From earliest times, symbol of the soul; child's death
BROKEN COLUMNS ~ Death
CANDLES ~ Being snuffed out by death's imps
CHERUBIM ~ Guardians of a sacred place, servants of God; divine wisdom or justice
COCKS ~ Fall from grace and resurrection
COFFIN ~ Coffins, skulls, pick-ax and spade -- tools and other objects associated with burial, reminders of our ultimate end
CROWN ~ Glory and righteousness
COBRA ~ Death (an Egyptian influence)
DEATH'S HEAD ~ With soul effigy over mouth (early New England motif)
EYE ~ Divine wisdom
FATHER TIME ~ Old man with a beard
FLOWERS ~ Impermanence
CALLA LILY ~ Majestic beauty
DAISY ~ Youth
MORNING GLORY ~ Resurrection
LILY ~ Purity, chastity, flower of Virgin Mary
PANSY ~ Humility
ROSE/ROSETTE ~ Love
SHAMROCK ~ Holy Trinity or Ireland
THISTLE ~ The fall of man
FRUIT ~ Fertility and abundance
GRAPES ~ Fertility and sacrafice
Did you know ... that a block of styrofoam will clean moss and soil debris from old tombstones and will not damage the stone?
One way to figure out the era your ancestor was buried is to examine the material from which the tombstone is made. If your ancestor has a stone made of slate or common fieldstone (except wood used by pioneer) chances are the stone dates from 1796-1830.
If the stone is flat topped hard marble, dates are about 1830-1849.
If your mystery stone is round or pointed soft marble with cursive inscriptions, look for a date of 1845-1868.
Masonic four-sided stones began in 1850 and are still in use today.
Pylons, columns and all exotic-style monuments are usually dated 1860-1900.
Zinc monuments date from 1870-1900.
Granite, now common, came into use about 1900.
If the writing is too faded to read, use a 75 watt black light bulb in any lamp that casts light directly on the written message. The writing will appear miraculously.
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