passed on from a "cousin"
Have any of you, like me, ever wondered why our ancestors chose which
engraving to place on gravemarkers, or even if they meant anything? Well I
came across this and found it interesting, so I thought I might share it
with you all:-
BJ
THE MEANING OF GRAVESTONE ENGRAVINGS
Anchor/Ships.................Hope or a Mariner
Arches...........................Victory in Death
Arrows...........................Mortality
Bird................................Eternal Life
Bird flying.......................Resurrection
Book open.....................Teacher
Bible open.....................Minister
Bouquets flowers..........Condolences, grief,
sorrow
Broken column...............Loss of Head of family
Bugles...........................Resurrection,or Military
Butterfly........................Short lived,
Early death
Candle being snuffed.............Time, Mortality
Cherub..........................Angelic
Corn..............................Ripe old age
Cross............................Emblem of faith
Crossed swords...................High ranking
military person
Darts or Coffin..................Father time
Dove.............................Innocence,
Gentleness,
Affection, Purity
Flying birds ....................Flight of the
soul
Fruit............................Eternal plent
Garlands.........................Victory in death
Hands shaking....................Farewell
Harp.............................Praise to the
Maker
Hearts...........................Soul in bliss or
love of Christ
Horns............................The Resurrection
Hourglass........................Swiftness of time
Hand of God Chopping.............Sudden Death
Hourglass with wings.............Time flying,
short life
Imps.............................Mortality
Ivy..............................Friendship and
Immortality
Lamb.............................Innocence
Laurel...........................Fame or Victory
Lily or lily of Valley...........Emblem of
Innocence and
purity
Morning glory....................Beginning of life
Oak leaves & acorn...............Maturity, and
ripe old age
Palm branches....................Signifies
Victory and
rejoicing
Picks & Shovels..................Mortality
Poppy............................Sleep
Portals..........................Passageway
to eternal life
Rings broken.....................family circle
severed
Rose bud.........................Morning of life,
renewal of life
Rose fully opened................Prime of life
Roses............................Brevity of
earthly life
Shells...........................Pilgrimage of
life
Stars & stripes on eagle.........Eternal vigilance
liberty
Thistles.........................Rememberance
Tombs............................Mortality
Torch Inverted...................Life extinct
Tree Stump with ivy..............Head of family
Immortality
Trees............................Life
Trumpeters.......................Heralds of the
resurrection
Urn with Blaze...................Undying
friendship
Urn with wreath/crepe............Mourning
Weeping willow...................Emblem of sorrow
Wheat sheaf......................Ripe for
harvest, divine
harvest, time
Willows..........................Earthly sorrow
Winged Effigies..................Flight of the
soul