Everyone has a story that deserves to be remembered. This is how I preserve those stories.

Cemeteries are the repositories of generations of history, all written in stone. Sometimes, those stones are the only surviving record of a person's life. There are few things I love more than finding those lost and forgotten ones and bringing them to light.

Though I especially enjoy exploring and photographing the oldest sections of cemeteries, or obscure and half-forgotten graveyards, I am happy to document any grave, old or new. Missing an ancestor? Go ahead--give me an adventure! I'll do my best to find them.

If you would like a clearer image of a marker, a different angle, or more detailed shot, please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate. You may use any photos I have uploaded to Find a Grave for your personal use.

These are your stories too.
*******************************************************************

*I am currently located in Dutchess County, New York

Instagram @relics.and.requiems

*******************************************************************
~Tombstone Iconography~

Ever wonder what all those symbols on a gravestone mean? They are more than just lovely decoration. They might represent a virtue the person exemplified, a value they held dear, or provide a clue to how they earned their living.

Here is a list of some commonly seen symbols and their meanings. *Please note, symbols may mean different things to different people at different times, so you may find varying interpretations.

Arches and gates ~~ passage into the next life
Acorn ~~ prosperity; power; triumph; strength; independence
Anchor ~~ hope; Navy
Angels ~~ God's messengers and guardians; dropping flowers may signify grief, mourning; pointing to heaven may signify rejoicing
Anvil and/or hammer ~~ blacksmith
Basket ~~ fertility; maternal bond
Bat wings ~~ death; misfortune
Beehive ~~ industry; possible membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Benches ~~ mourning; contemplation
Bird ~~ flight of the soul
Book ~~ often the Bible, book of life
Bone ~~ death
Candle ~~ life
Church ~~ ministry; possible pastor or minster
Clock ~~ march of time, usually stopped at hour of death
Clover (three- or four-leafed) ~~ Christian trinity; possible Irish ancestry or affiliation with 4H Club
Column and/or pillar (Broken) ~~ life cut short; sudden death
Column and/or pillar (Unbroken) ~~ a complete and full life
Corn ~~ farming (also frequently symbolized by wheat)
Doves ~~ peace; the Holy Spirit
Elk ~~ possible membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Evergreen ~~ faithfulness; remembrance
Feathered headdress ~~ possible membership with the Improved Order of Red Men or Degree of Pocahontas
Fern ~~ sincerity; humility; solitude
Forefinger pointing down ~~ God reaching down for the soul
Forefinger pointing up ~~ soul's passage to Heaven
Fruit ~~ eternal plenty
Half-carved tombstone ~~ transition from life to death
Handshake ~~ welcoming of a soul into Heaven; bond between spouses (if hands are feminine and masculine)
Harp ~~ worship; music to God
Heart ~~ a blissful soul (Colonial era); romantic love (Victorian era to today)
Horses ~~ courage or generosity; possible membership with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (especially if two-headed)
Hourglass or clock ~~ the passage of time
Key ~~ knowledge; entrance to heaven
Lambs ~~ purity, gentleness, innocence (popular on children's graves)
Lamp ~~ knowledge; spiritual immortality
Lily ~~ innocence and purity; resurrection; marriage and fidelity (Calla); innocence and humility (Lily of the Valley)
Mariner ~~ anchor; sextant
Mortar and pestle ~~ medical profession (pharmacist or doctor)
Oak leaf ~~ strength; stability; endurance
Olive tree ~~ peace; reconciliation between God and man
Palm ~~ life conquering death; resurrection
Phoenix ~~ resurrection
Pineapple ~~ prosperity; hospitality; perfection
Rose ~~ love; beauty; virtue; motherhood; strong bond (intertwined); youthful death (rosebud)
Scales ~~ justice; law
Shield ~~ protection, faith, defense of the spirit
Shoes ~~ (empty, one overturned) loss of a child
Skull ~~ death; mortal remains
Soul effigy ~~ immortality of the soul; passage to the afterlife (especially if winged)
Sphinx ~~ courage; honor; power
Thistle ~~ sorrow and remembrance; potential Scottish ancestry
Tree-shaped or tree stump ~~ life cut short; sudden death; possible membership with the Modern Woodmen of America or Woodmen of the World
Urn ~~ death of the flesh
Wheat ~~ farming; harvest; prosperity; full life
Winged death's head ~~ mortal remains of the deceased
Willow ~~ mourning and earthly sorrow

~Headstone Initials and Acronyms~

Initials ~ Meaning/Affiliation
AAONMS ~ Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles and the Mystic Shrine (Masonic)
AASR ~ Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (Masonic)
BPOE ~ Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
FATAL ~ Order of the Eastern Star (Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely)
FOE ~ Fraternal Order of Eagles
IHC/IHS ~ Christian; the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek
IOOF ~ Independent Order of Odd Fellows
K of C ~ Knights of Columbus (Catholic)
P O of A ~ Patriotic Order of America

~Headstone Materials~

By determining the headstone's composition, you can tell if the marker at your ancestor's grave is the original or a replacement. Before the 1650s, people used mostly fieldstones or rough-cut rocks to mark graves (though I've seen them used up to the early 1700s). A stone from this time might have the deceased's initials and death year carved on it.

From about the 1660s to 1850s, headstones consisted of sedimentary rock, such as red or brown sandstone or limestone, and dark slate. You'll also see early 1800s gravestones made from a grayish-blue slate.

Marble was the stone of choice between the 1830s and 1880s.

Since the 1880s, granite has been the preferred material. That means a granite stone with a pre-1880 death date is not the original marker.

Everyone has a story that deserves to be remembered. This is how I preserve those stories.

Cemeteries are the repositories of generations of history, all written in stone. Sometimes, those stones are the only surviving record of a person's life. There are few things I love more than finding those lost and forgotten ones and bringing them to light.

Though I especially enjoy exploring and photographing the oldest sections of cemeteries, or obscure and half-forgotten graveyards, I am happy to document any grave, old or new. Missing an ancestor? Go ahead--give me an adventure! I'll do my best to find them.

If you would like a clearer image of a marker, a different angle, or more detailed shot, please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate. You may use any photos I have uploaded to Find a Grave for your personal use.

These are your stories too.
*******************************************************************

*I am currently located in Dutchess County, New York

Instagram @relics.and.requiems

*******************************************************************
~Tombstone Iconography~

Ever wonder what all those symbols on a gravestone mean? They are more than just lovely decoration. They might represent a virtue the person exemplified, a value they held dear, or provide a clue to how they earned their living.

Here is a list of some commonly seen symbols and their meanings. *Please note, symbols may mean different things to different people at different times, so you may find varying interpretations.

Arches and gates ~~ passage into the next life
Acorn ~~ prosperity; power; triumph; strength; independence
Anchor ~~ hope; Navy
Angels ~~ God's messengers and guardians; dropping flowers may signify grief, mourning; pointing to heaven may signify rejoicing
Anvil and/or hammer ~~ blacksmith
Basket ~~ fertility; maternal bond
Bat wings ~~ death; misfortune
Beehive ~~ industry; possible membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Benches ~~ mourning; contemplation
Bird ~~ flight of the soul
Book ~~ often the Bible, book of life
Bone ~~ death
Candle ~~ life
Church ~~ ministry; possible pastor or minster
Clock ~~ march of time, usually stopped at hour of death
Clover (three- or four-leafed) ~~ Christian trinity; possible Irish ancestry or affiliation with 4H Club
Column and/or pillar (Broken) ~~ life cut short; sudden death
Column and/or pillar (Unbroken) ~~ a complete and full life
Corn ~~ farming (also frequently symbolized by wheat)
Doves ~~ peace; the Holy Spirit
Elk ~~ possible membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Evergreen ~~ faithfulness; remembrance
Feathered headdress ~~ possible membership with the Improved Order of Red Men or Degree of Pocahontas
Fern ~~ sincerity; humility; solitude
Forefinger pointing down ~~ God reaching down for the soul
Forefinger pointing up ~~ soul's passage to Heaven
Fruit ~~ eternal plenty
Half-carved tombstone ~~ transition from life to death
Handshake ~~ welcoming of a soul into Heaven; bond between spouses (if hands are feminine and masculine)
Harp ~~ worship; music to God
Heart ~~ a blissful soul (Colonial era); romantic love (Victorian era to today)
Horses ~~ courage or generosity; possible membership with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (especially if two-headed)
Hourglass or clock ~~ the passage of time
Key ~~ knowledge; entrance to heaven
Lambs ~~ purity, gentleness, innocence (popular on children's graves)
Lamp ~~ knowledge; spiritual immortality
Lily ~~ innocence and purity; resurrection; marriage and fidelity (Calla); innocence and humility (Lily of the Valley)
Mariner ~~ anchor; sextant
Mortar and pestle ~~ medical profession (pharmacist or doctor)
Oak leaf ~~ strength; stability; endurance
Olive tree ~~ peace; reconciliation between God and man
Palm ~~ life conquering death; resurrection
Phoenix ~~ resurrection
Pineapple ~~ prosperity; hospitality; perfection
Rose ~~ love; beauty; virtue; motherhood; strong bond (intertwined); youthful death (rosebud)
Scales ~~ justice; law
Shield ~~ protection, faith, defense of the spirit
Shoes ~~ (empty, one overturned) loss of a child
Skull ~~ death; mortal remains
Soul effigy ~~ immortality of the soul; passage to the afterlife (especially if winged)
Sphinx ~~ courage; honor; power
Thistle ~~ sorrow and remembrance; potential Scottish ancestry
Tree-shaped or tree stump ~~ life cut short; sudden death; possible membership with the Modern Woodmen of America or Woodmen of the World
Urn ~~ death of the flesh
Wheat ~~ farming; harvest; prosperity; full life
Winged death's head ~~ mortal remains of the deceased
Willow ~~ mourning and earthly sorrow

~Headstone Initials and Acronyms~

Initials ~ Meaning/Affiliation
AAONMS ~ Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles and the Mystic Shrine (Masonic)
AASR ~ Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (Masonic)
BPOE ~ Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
FATAL ~ Order of the Eastern Star (Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely)
FOE ~ Fraternal Order of Eagles
IHC/IHS ~ Christian; the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek
IOOF ~ Independent Order of Odd Fellows
K of C ~ Knights of Columbus (Catholic)
P O of A ~ Patriotic Order of America

~Headstone Materials~

By determining the headstone's composition, you can tell if the marker at your ancestor's grave is the original or a replacement. Before the 1650s, people used mostly fieldstones or rough-cut rocks to mark graves (though I've seen them used up to the early 1700s). A stone from this time might have the deceased's initials and death year carved on it.

From about the 1660s to 1850s, headstones consisted of sedimentary rock, such as red or brown sandstone or limestone, and dark slate. You'll also see early 1800s gravestones made from a grayish-blue slate.

Marble was the stone of choice between the 1830s and 1880s.

Since the 1880s, granite has been the preferred material. That means a granite stone with a pre-1880 death date is not the original marker.