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Understanding Tombstone Engravings
Although monuments to the dead have been around in one form or another for thousands of years
they have until modern times traditionally been reserved for the wealthy. The modern custom of
erecting ornately carved tombstones over the graves of common folk is a relatively new development
that came about in the 18th century. Before then most people could not afford to invest in such a
frivolous expense.
The first modern tombstones were often made of limestone or sandstone. Sandstone being cheaper and more
easily carved then granite. The decoration of these stones was also quite different and dare
I say inappropriate by later standards. Skulls and skeletons were common as well as things like
trumpet blowing flying cherubs accompanied by long winded and flowery epitaphs expounding the
virtues of the dead.
 The Victorian area put an end to the less formal view of tombstones design. The sandstone was replaced by granite, and for those that could afford it marble. The skulls and skeletons
were replaced with more gentle images like Angels and lambs. The long winded epitaphs were
replaced by the use of subtle images, each with a meaning of its own. The Victorians in
many ways embraced death much more readily then we do today. A funeral was a social event and
a time to show off the prosperity of the family and by extension the size and grandeur of monuments
became very important.
Today's tombstones are generally much smaller and of simple design reflecting our current culture of
denying death and trying to make it as least visible as possible. If current trends continue the
tombstone may very well vanish into history.
The following is a short tombstone database of some of the more common images and there meanings found on
tombstones. It should be noted that meaning of many of the images are open to interpretation and
debate.
Anchor/Ships ~ Hope or Seafaring profession.
Angel, Flying ~ Rebirth or Resurrection.
Arrow ~ Mortality.
Bed ~ The deathbed.
Birds Flying ~ Flight of the Soul.
Book ~ Everlasting Faith.
Circle ~ Eternity.
Column ~ Mortality.
Cross ~ Christianity.
Crown ~ Heavenly reward.
Dove ~ The soul.
Flame or Light ~ Life or Resurrection.
Fruits ~ Eternal plenty.
Gates ~ Heaven.
Grim Reaper ~ Death personified.
Heart ~ Love.
Harp ~ Praise to the Maker or Ireland.
Hourglass ~ The passage of time and life.
Ivy ~ Friendship.
Lamb ~ Innocence. often seen on the graves of children.
Obelisk ~ Eternal life and Strength.
Pyramid ~ Eternity.
Rocks ~ Strength.
Skull ~ Mortality.
Skeleton ~ Life's brevity.
Sundial ~ The passage of time.
Sword ~ Justice and fortitude.
Torch ~ Immortality.
Urn ~ Mortality.
Willow ~ Grief.
Online Searchable Death Indexes
Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates on Ancestry
Other Online Searchable Records
We're all anxious to find our ancestors - and find them fast! These records may help you find a brick-wall ancestor easily and from the comfort of your computer chair.
Try a  Ancestry Free Trial Ancestry has more genealogy records than any site on the net and they often have free trials and special promotions.
Genealogy Today Lots of unique one of a kind genealogy databases
Share Your Death Records
If you have a transcription or a photo of death records (cemetery listings, funeral cards, death cards, coffin plates, church records etc) help build this database by submitting your death records ***You must delete the word REMOVE in my email address before sending to me or it won't work. So the real address is ancestorsatrest followed by the @ then the last bit gmail.com Sorry but spammers make this roundabout method of emailing necessary!***
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Ancestors At Rest reminds you that when looking for death records for your family tree online to be careful when spelling interment. It's not intermet, internment, inturnment or internmet. Another common one is cemetery, not cemetary or cematary.
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These pages may be linked to but not duplicated in any way without my written consent. Contact Brian by writing to AncestorsAtRest AT gmail.com (replace AT with @ and remove spaces)
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Helpful Articles, Free Genealogy Stuff, Order Death Records Online, VitalChek Express Service order Birth and Death Records online, and Links to Great Genealogy Sites Like The USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project, Cemetery Database on Rootsweb, Ancestry.com and so much more.
Did you know....
Genealogy is the study of family pedigrees, the descent of a person or family from an ancestor, generation by generation.
Find your ancestors in death records. Search free genealogy death records such as coffin plates, death cards, funeral cards, wills, church records, family bibles, cenotaphs and tombstone inscriptions on AncestorsAtRest.com Find links to other genealogy death records like cemeteries, vital stats, and obituaries.
Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze