Tombstone Meanings

[Debi]

The Hidden Meanings Behind 11 Common Tombstone Symbols

"RIP" has a pretty obvious meaning, but some tombstone symbols—like a corn husk or a camel—can be a little puzzling.

www.mentalfloss.com

 

[garnetsilver]

Interesting article! When I was a memorial counselor, I never knew that those symbols had meaning.

 

[Lynne]

A good article.

 

[TexDanm]

When you wander around an old cemetery you will see a lot of symbols that were meaningful to those people and their friends and families. Many of them are various symbols relating to the many Fraternal organizations that were very common until about the 1960s. Most of them still sort of existing but in much smaller numbers with mostly older men that are slowly fading away. The Freemasons, Odd Fellows, and Woodsmen are only three of the more common groups and each has its own symbols and special ways of letting others know of their affiliation.

In the past these were a sort of "insurance". A man joined these organizations and each swore to look out for his brother's families if something happened to them. He would pay it ahead by making sure that the widows and children of his lodge were looked out for and protected. My Father's Dad died when he was eight and his brother was 10. The Masons of his Father's lodge made sure that they didn't go hungry, had a roof over their head and that my Grandmother had a job so that she could support them.