We put an eighth note on the back of my great-aunt’s tombstone because of her lifetime of teaching music and playing the organ for her church. Musis was important to her. The symbol was an attempt to show that. Images are frequently on stones to convey a message without using words.
Don’t ignore those images on your relative’s tombstone. Pictures or images on a stone may provide a clue to your ancestor’s life, religious beliefs, club memberships, or more. Many articles and websites reference such images and what they mean. Here are a few:
- ThoughtCo. article
- Stoneletters.com article
- “Symbolism on Gravestones” from Association for Gravestone Studies
- “Headstone & Memorial Symbols and Meanings,” from City of Grove, Oklahoma website–fairly comprehensive.
Don’t neglect the non-textual information on a stone. It may be just as significant as the words in the inscription.
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