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History of Cemeteries Volume 1: Tombstone Iconography and Meanings of the 1700-1800

Writer's picture: Marisa DeRoma ( a.k.a The Wandering Oddball)Marisa DeRoma ( a.k.a The Wandering Oddball)

Updated: Oct 24, 2024



One of my many odd curiosities is exploring old cemeteries. The photos in this article are documented graves I took photos of over the years.  Today I will be using visual aids to mainly give a brief history of the iconography of early graves. 


The term headstone is believed to have originated from Jewish tradition, where a stone was left at the head of a grave. 


Early American Settlers to Colonial Times  


The earliest burial ground to be established by English colonists was Myles Standish Burying Ground in Duxbury, Massachusetts. This is where most of the Mayflower passengers were buried. During the pilgrim's arrival to the colonial era, the materials used for the graves were commonly slate, limestone, or sandstone. Sometimes, it is whatever material is available in the area. Another older cemetery was 1637 called Old Burying Point in Salem, Massachusetts. 


How graves were written out


While phrases on graves, such as "In Loving Memory of John Smith,” were written out like that in older days, other graves were written out differently. For example, it would go as such:” Here lies the body of John Smith; he died at age 73.” 


Iconography and Meanings 


The Death Head—Very early 1700s tombstones often depicted a skull head with wings. The skull symbolizes physical death, and the wings represent spiritual regeneration. 



Skull and Crossbones- Skulls symbolize memento mori: “Remember you will die someday too.”



Hourglass- Also expected in the 1700’s. This represents the passing of time and the inevitability of death. Wings sometimes around it represent the South transcending into heaven.



Cherub Head—Another common early icon in the 1700s used on tombstones was cherubs. While this symbol was mainly found on graves in the cemetery, it would not typically be seen on a grave belonging to someone of the Puritan faith, as they didn’t want cherubs on a grave to attribute the human soul on the same level as an angel or God. 


Portrait Stones—Towards the end of the 1700s, portrait stones started to be etched into graves. Many times, they are thought to be of the deceased. Usually, they show hair and distinct facial features. 



Willow—The willow represents sadness and mourning on graves. It became more popular in the late 1700s.



Urn- This symbol became more popular in the late 1700’s and 1800’s. During this time, graves started to turn away from the earlier, more grotesque death symbols like the Death Head. It was more so during this time, as many Americans became even more fascinated with classical Greek and Roman architecture. 


Later years


Into the 1800s, more decorative changes were made to the cemeteries. In addition, due to overcrowding and sanitation concerns, more significant and more common cemeteries, which we see more today, would start to form, moving away from just churchyard burials and private burials. We end this here to discuss those graves for another day.



Sources 



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