Handshakes may be farewells to earthly existence or may be clasped hands of a couple to be reunited in death as they were in life, their devotion to each other not destroyed by death. When admiring a monument or memorial, it’s helpful to know some key facts about symbolism. Bevel markers, usually about 8 inches thick, which lie flat on the ground at the head of the grave and rise above the grass 3. Clam shells, scallop shells, and other types of shells are a symbol of a person's Christian pilgrimage or journey through life and of baptism in the church. What are common sizes and shapes of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century gravestones? The emblem of the Odd Fellows is usually shown as three links of a chain. Mailing AddressThe Association for Gravestone Studies278 Main Street, Suite 209Greenfield, MA 01301info@gravestonestudies.org413.772.0836, Andrea Carlin - Administrator and Publications CoordinatorSusan Pynchon - Office Manager. These emblems tell a narrative beyond the name and rank on the headstone. If it is permissible, do so with great care and avoid doing it on any headstones that appear fragile, very old, and in disrepair. The tradition continued in Judeo-Christian societies. In previous posts, we’ve explored significant symbols and their meaning as well as religious symbols.. Everything on a monument has some degree of significance to the family or their heritage. These same letters were also used by the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War and a similar hereditary group called the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. In many burial grounds graves face all four points on the compass. There is more than one interpretation for some symbols so interpretations must be used as possibilities, not certainties. There the body would then be laid on its side, head to the north and facing east. You may want to look up www.hearse.com on the Internet. It is fully illustrated and deals only with gravestones and tombs. Strictly speaking, a headstone is a marker at the head of a grave, and a footstone is a marker at the foot of a grave. The headstone usually states a person’s name, their date of birth and death; occasionally some personal information, a prayer or a photograph. Posted 06/01/15 in The Headstone Guide. James A. Marples, VII°, describes the emblem of the Mystic Shrine: "The official emblem of the Mystic Shrine is the Crescent. Generally speaking, headstones mark where the head of the deceased is situated. The earliest settlers had their feet pointing toward the east and the head of the coffin toward the west, ready to rise up and face the "new day" (the sun) when "the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised" or when Christ would appear and they would be reborn. This time, the funeral casket was … The body would be placed face up. The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. There were many cultural reasons for the revival styles of the nineteenth century. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. According to this tradition, this means they will be facing the right direction when the […] However, there could be several reasons that graves face the same direction in each section of the cemetery. Why do the early stones face west? Much depends on the layout of the graveyard -- if there was a church or other building in the center of the burial site, where the high ground was located, the location of access roads, etc. The original standard grave marker precedes the establishment of national cemeteries in 1862 and actually has its origin in the frontier days of this country prior to the Civil War. Cerasoli tombstone, Hope Cemetery, Barre, Vermont. In many burial grounds graves face all four points on the compass. The Odd Fellows, first organized in the US in 1819, is a popular fraternal/benefit organization. In the middle ages, Christians wore the scallop shell to indicate that they had made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James of Compostella in Spain. Most cemeteries regulate the headstones placed on graves within their grounds. Hands are found on many gravestones. Obelisks were considered to be tasteful, with pure uplifting lines, associated with ancient greatness, patriotic, able to be used in relatively small spaces, and, perhaps most importantly, obelisks were less costly than large and elaborate sculpted monuments. Early graves were seldom in the neat rows that we are used to seeing. I have seen these cards used in shadowbox frames with other artifacts from the person and their wake. The ideal of winding roads and irregular terrain dictated the orientation of the monuments to a large degree. Tombstones in traditional Western cemeteries usually face east. The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. Cemetery Rules and Regulations, as they are known, stipulate such attributes as material, size, and type of headstone. The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. The obelisk is, to quote McDowell and Meyer in The Revival Styles in American Memorial Art, one of the "most pervasive of all the revival forms" of cemetery art. In all fairness, it’s not very practical to utilize the west-east placement all the time, which is why the north-south placement turned out to be a great alternative. Who carved the stones? These would be the equivalent of a limousine today, but they certainly had features that separated them from an everyday coach. How many early American gravestones are there? Here are several sources and interpretations for some frequently used symbols on gravestones. See Clasped Hands: Symbolism in New Orleans Cemeteries, by Leonard V. Huber, published 1982 by the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana. What materials were used? Sometimes a hilly site will have stones facing all four directions. I think that having a headstone is an important part of remembering a loved one, and I love that you said that funeral homes are happy to help. Posted 06/01/15 in The Headstone Guide. Generally most mourning cards are black with gold lettering. Some have generic images, like a dove, flowers, etc. It may be the hand of God pointing downward signifying mortality or sudden death. Because there are few simple answers, you should, if you are interested in the symbolism on old gravestones, approach the subject with an open, inquiring attitude laced with a healthy skepticism. The head of the grave is to the west with the foot of the grave being the at the east. The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. The tradition has been that the body is buried in such a way that the feet are oriented to the east and the head being oriented to the west. The headstones don`t always face East. The headstone usually states a person’s name, their date of birth and death; occasionally some personal information, a prayer or a photograph. In many burial grounds graves face all four points on the compass. The idea of crossing over a body of water to the promised land or crossing the River of Styx to the afterlife, the final journey to the "other side" is also part of the symbolism of the shell. What are common sizes and shapes of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century gravestones? The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. Originally behind the Crescent were a pyramid, urn, and star. There is also a national mourning collectors group. Muslims bury their dead facing north-east because they believe that they look over their right shoulder towards Mecca in the south-east, 3,000 miles away. A number on the stone is the local lodge number. Besides occasionally being push over, the vast majority of headstones found on the ground in Newfoundland fell over very slowly due to lack of a stable foundation. But Churches in the middle ages and up the 1800 did face east, so the graveyards in those churches faced also east. In present day, most headstones face to the closest road. The hand of God pointing upward signifies the reward of the righteous, confirmation of life after death. Most churches are built with the altar at the east end, expecting the Second Coming of Christ to be from the East: New International Version of Matthew 24:27 - "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." The tradition has been that the body is buried in such a way that the feet are oriented to the east and the head being oriented to the west. The whole thing was then hung on the wall in tribute to them. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Headstones come in a number of styles, including: 1. This healthy persity of opinion stimulates interest and further study. Most people have heard the word “headstone” before. The Woodmen of the World emblem is a sawed-off tree stump, often with a mallet or beetle, an ax, and a wedge: the motto "Dum, Tacet Clamat" ("Though Silent He Speaks") usually appears somewhere on the border. For thousands of years, human beings have used rocks and stones of varying sizes in their burial rituals and traditions, whether to cover a deceased body, mark the burial site in order to locate it later, or to memorialize the individual who died (e.g., the headstones and gravemarkers found in modern cemeteries and memorial parks). Home > Articles & Guides > Cemetery Headstones: Rules & Regulations Cemetery Headstones: Rules & Regulations. Why do most of the headstones in the cemetery face north-south? Speculative interpretations of some of the more obvious designs can safely be made by the insightful observer. See "Fraternal Organizations" by Alvin J. Schmidt from The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions, published by Greenwood Press, 1980, or see The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies & Fraternal Orders by Alan Axelrod, published by Facts on File, 1997 or see Markers XI, "Ritual Regalia, and Remembrance: Fraternal Symbolism" by Laurel K. Gabel. Unfortunately, not all designs on gravestones can be interpreted in such a neat, uncomplicated way, and attempts to do so are fraught with the likelihood of error. First, be aware this can damage old headstones and that it is illegal in some States in the USA and possibly in other places. Tuesday, May 29, 2018 10:05:21 AM America/New_York Burial customs have changed considerably over the last few centuries, but we still follow many of the same traditions that have been in practice since the time of early Christianity. When Jesus returns to Earth, it was believed to be from the east with the rising sun. The reason most of the headstones are facing north-south is that is the way the gravesites are laid out. Headstone Symbolism Symbols on Headstones Demystified. The head of the grave is to the west with the foot of the grave being the at the east. What is the current condition of the early stones? The reason most of the headstones are facing north-south is that is the way the gravesites are laid out. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. Why do most headstones face east? And yes they faced to the rising sun (faced the light of god). The history of government headstones has an identity of its own apart from development of the National Cemetery Administration. Two things that influence the stability of the foundation are: quality of the foundation materials, stability of the soil that supports the foundation. The symbol may be inspired by nature or more frequently by the person the stone commemorates. Headstone engravers faced their own "year 2000 problem" when still-living people, as many as 500,000 in the United States alone, pre-purchased headstones with pre-carved death years beginning with 19–.Bas-relief carvings of a religious nature or of a profile of the deceased can be seen on some headstones, especially up to the 19th century. I know most of them face east correct me if I’m wrong because the dead would be ready to rise up and face the “new day” but why do some face west, north and south?
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