Written By Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives
“Mommy, do we have anyone there?” asked a chorus of little voices from the back seat of the car as we passed by a cemetery. Only a genealogist’s young children would expect to stop at every cemetery to search the headstones for names of long-lost family members. This was the case for our children as they grew up and travelled many roads.
Cemeteries are not the scary places ghost-telling stories around a campfire make them out to be. Cemeteries mark an individual’s final resting place. Many headstones have symbols on them that give significant clues to what was important to the person. Let’s discover what information you might find.
Have you ever found an angel? An angel represents spirituality. They guard the tomb and are thought to be messengers between God and man. The angel, also known as a messenger from God, may appear in different poses, each with its own individual meaning. An angel with open wings is believed to symbolize the flight of the soul to heaven. A weeping angel symbolizes grief.
A book is often perceived as the Bible, but may also represent learning, a scholar, a prayer, a memory, or someone who worked as a writer. Books and scrolls are often thought to represent evangelists.
A broken chain symbolizes the death of a family member, and that the family chain has been broken.
The Calla Lily, common in the Victorian era, represents majestic beauty and often symbolizes marriage or resurrection.
A cross, often regarded as the greatest Christian symbol, can generate many messages ranging from love, faith and goodness to terror and fear. The Celtic cross, found in many local cemeteries, signifies a double symbol of eternity and unity, both that of the Son with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and that of the believer with the Trinity.
Seen in both Christian and Jewish cemeteries, the dove often represents the Holy Spirit, resurrection, innocence and peace. When shown flying upwards, doves represent the soul’s ascent to Heaven. A dove with a broken wing often signifies the death of a young child.
Hands and fingers have several interpretations depending on formation. The hand with the index finger pointing upward symbolizes the hope of Heaven. The hand with the forefinger pointing downwards represents God reaching down for the soul. Clasped hands or handshake means a final farewell to the deceased or God welcoming them into heaven.
The lamb represents innocence and sacrifice and comes from John 1:29 where John the Baptist calls Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Lambs are often placed on the graves of young children.
Both the oak leaves and acorns represent longevity, humble beginnings, patience, faith, power, endurance and strength.
Ancient Egyptians created the obelisk as an homage to their sun god, Ra. When Christians adopted the symbol, it represented the connection between Heaven and Earth. It also represents power, strength, and fatherhood. In historic cemeteries it is often the centre of the family plot.
The rose symbolizes love, beauty and hope. Rosebuds or a partial bloom usually indicates a child or
young adult. The fuller the rose, the longer the life. In the Victorian era it was a common symbol for the graves of women.
After the cross, the urn is one of the most common cemetery monuments. The design represents a funeral urn and is thought to symbolize immortality and mourning. The shroud-draped urn is believed by some to mean that the soul has departed the shrouded body for Heaven. It may also mean the separation of life and death.
A very common image in the Victorian era, a weeping willow. signifies sadness and grief. It also represents immortality.
A sheaf of wheat symbolizes a long life and prosperity. Wheat was also a common Masonic Lodge symbol.
Becoming more common on recent headstones are symbols of wedding bands with a date. These tell the date the couple were married. These headstones may also include the names of their children. On the back of some headstones is a sketch of the family home or some other place of importance to the deceased.
In one cemetery in Middlesex Centre, the back of the headstone gives the wishes of the deceased for how his estate was to be divided.
Cemeteries offer a trove of information. Next time you go for a peaceful walk through one, check out the symbols on the headstone to catch a glimpse of the person interred there.
The Middlesex Centre Archives has scheduled its annual Cemetery & Heritage Tour for Saturday, October 4th. Do join us. To find out more information check our website www.middlesexcentrearchive.ca/events/
