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Historical Burial Traditions: Bahamian Burials III

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Nassau cemetery with a mix of memorials and transient grave sites.

In the first blog entry about Bahamian burials, you may have learned that there was a distinction among social classes and between races in life as well as in death in the Bahamas. In the second article, you may have witnessed how both Europeans and Africans influenced each other in the types of memorials reserved for the dead and the designation of a burial as permanent or transient. This article, the last in the series, shows how class defined the Bahamian burial; however, cultural influences also shaped the Bahamian burial scene.

Many Europeans who served in the military or who stayed on the Bahamas’ islands after the American Revolution often purchased gravestones from England or Europe. The marble and granite stones that you might see in Nassau or on Paradise island represent wealthier Europeans who had the means to afford these stones. Even today, in less populated Bahamian islands such as San Salvador, you may find machine-carved polished granite stones. But, these stones were delivered to the island, just like Christmas trees, beer and any other commodity consumed on that latter island.

More commonly, you can find a mix of grave styles within Nassau’s cemeteries as shown in the image below:

A mix of social class and culture in this cemetery.

In the image immediately above, taken in Nassau, you can see a polished granite stone, a hand-carved headstone and a pile of carved limestone rocks in the far right background. All three are graves, and the least permanent grave site is the one surrounded and covered by the limestone blocks. The cement borders designate the difficult-to-dig grave sites, and many of them do not contain headstones. A simple pine box lies just feet under the earth.

But, what you cannot see in this image are objects left on many graves. In San Salvador, a custom of leaving plates, vessels, bottles and other objects is more common than in Nassau, but those objects can be found at almost any cemetery or grave site, no matter whether its in a church yard or on town property.

James Deetz writes in his book, In Small Things Forgotten:

…there is a clear pattern in the types of objects used by African Americans to decorate graves. Bottles and jars predominate, sometimes broken in such a way that they appear to be whole. This was often accomplished by breaking a hole in the bottom, invisible when the object is set upright on the grave. Such breakage could be seen to be done to prevent theft, but [John} Vlach cites extensive evidence that such is not the case, since the community will not disturb grave offerings, even coins, as a result of customs which had their origin in the African past. Similar grave ornamentation is known from all West and Central Africa, where, as in America, graves and their decorations are seen as inviolate, not to be stolen from.

A quick look at graves in a more remote grave yard on San Salvador Island shows little of this African influence. But, if you sit for a while and concentrate, you can begin to see a shard of glass here, a nail there, a small vase and a shell there. After a while, you might begin to see entire plate sets, bottles and a series of glassware set along the barriers that mark the grave site. Some of these same objects are found in African-American grave sites throughout the southern U.S.

While many scholars have put forth theories about these symbols, only one may make sense – that of the slave who wants to return home and who finds that way home after death. Many death rituals, symbols and stories about death that have emerged from slavery centers on a watery symbolism. But, it is a dangerous thing to assume a belief system. For instance, in one headline in a story about a Bahamian grave site found recently in Miami, the writer asks, “Graves without grievers?” Some people may be confounded about how a cemetery filled with dozens of people in the early twentieth century could go undocumented and unnoticed.

Without understanding a culture, it may be difficult to understand that, at times, it can be easy to walk away from a cemetery. And, as an African American in this country, until recently, it could be very easy to die without documentation. Part of the reason for this ability to hide after death is found in the way European and American cultures clung to the slave culture over the centuries. Another reason is found in the African culture itself, one that may want to keep some personal points private. Deetz points to a William Faulkner quote in Faulkner’s book, Go Down, Moses, that might sum up the issue:

“…the grave, save for its rawness, resembled any other marked off without order about the barren plot by shards of pottery and broken bottles and old brick and other objects insignificant to sight but actually of a profound meaning and fatal to touch, which no white man could have read.”

Tags: Bahamas, Bahamian burial traditions
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Death Care News, Graveyard Etiquette, History of Funerals, Traditions | 2 Comments »

Historic Funeral Traditions: Bahamian Burials II

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Bahamian vault graves on San Salvador Island

Are you appalled by the idea that a family or community might re-use grave sites as mentioned in the previous Bahamian burial article? Or, perhaps the condition of the Bahamian cemeteries and grave sites might disturb you. If so, pick up the book, In Small Things Forgotten, by James Deetz to learn more about earlier American burials. On page 23, Deetz states:

“…it is not unusual to find single stones, from earlier in the eighteenth century, that mark the resting places of husband and wife as well as children. Group interment of this type is typical of earlier periods, and the contemporary concept of the churchyard was consistent with such a practice. Registers of churchyards invariably list far more interments than there are stones to account for them. Not everyone received a gravestone in the earlier periods, but unless we are able to conduct excavations in these cemeteries, the exact relationship between the numbers and groupings of the deceased and the markers in the cemetery will remain unknown. What is known is that the seventeenth-and eighteenth-century concept of a burying ground was that of a finite space that would hold all the deceased members of a parish regardless of how congested the space became. Diarists of the period mention bets of bone and teeth seen in the earth excavated for a new grave…”

The Bahamas presents such a burial environment, one that was reinforced after the American Revolution and continued even today. In earlier processes, however, graves also reflected the European tradition of memorial, and in many churches throughout Nassau, you can find memorials along a church’s inner walls and even along walkways:

Memorial plaques to the dead along a church wall.

An old stone embedded in a church walkway.

Many of these memorial plaques represent the deaths of military men who were embedded in the Bahamas during and after the Revolution. Although at least one plaque is dedicated to a man lost at sea, many more memorials are dedicated to those who came to the islands and who lost their lives to diseases such as yellow fever.

Like memorial plaques, the vaults shown at the top of the page are part of what could be a resistance to the transient grave site in the islands. These two vaults are created from cement, and they resist any attempt to re-use the graves, unlike the temptation to reuse graves made more available by identifiable concrete borders and piles of rock. The islands, however, can support only so many graves of a permanent nature because of space limitations. You can find many graves throughout the southern U.S. like the ones shown at the top of the page. These types of graves are particular to African-American church cemeteries.

Once you visualize the church formality with the memorials shown above for Europeans who died in the Bahamas, the African influence seen in Nassau’s graveyards seems to bend to that European memorial influence in a more basic way:

Broken stones lean against a church wall.

The stones above may have been removed to re-use a grave. Showing deterioration, they resemble the same intent as memorials on the inside walls of the previous church. But, the exposure to weather tends to reduce those memorials to general deference, unlike a plaque devoted to a specific person.

The following grave shows more modern style, as sometimes it takes a bit of creativity to memorialize the dead and to make a grave site permanent when the culture leans more toward a transient burial site…

Bathroom/kitchen tiles as memorial.

The grave site shown immediately above might send the same message as the vault graves shown at the top of the grave. Although the tiles seem less formidable than concrete, the message is the same – some effort went into this grave site, and to tear it apart might show more disrespect to the creator of that site than to the person buried there. After all, this grave has no identifying marks to let anyone know who might be buried here.

There is one more section to go in this series, as the African burial tradition is explored further in both the Bahamas and in the States.

Tags: Bahamas, Bahamian burial traditions
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Death & Dying, History of Funerals, Traditions | 1 Comment »

Historic Funeral Traditions: Bahamian Burials I

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Bahamian Grave with Cross

At the beginning of month-long graduate school archaeological dig in the Bahamas, one student asked what the class would do if a body were found during the digs. One professor responded, “Call the authorities, because that body would not be an antiquity.” In other words, any bones found in the Bahamas would be fresh bones, not historical objects. The reason behind this oddity is that the limestone found throughout the Bahamas acts as an agent to quickly dissolve flesh and more slowly to dissolve bone and teeth. But, in most cases, a body buried in the Bahamas can disappear within a decade.

This is one reason why Bahamians can re-use graves, which is convenient considering that the islands don’t hold many people, let along cemeteries. Additionally, limestone can prove to be difficult to carve, depending upon the limestone type. Therefore, digging one grave by hand (as most were dug this way during the early years of European and African occupation) can be labor that could last for generations if needed. From The City Rocks! Web site:

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that consists mostly or entirely of the minerals calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or magnesium carbonate (MgCO3). Most of the limestone on the planet forms in the ocean. Tiny, floating plants and animals called plankton take dissolved calcium, carbon, and oxygen from seawater and use it to make shells. When the plankton die, their shells drift down to the seafloor and collect in a sediment called ooze. Over time, the ooze hardens to limestone. Shells, bones, and corals can also form part or all of a limestone. Limestones tend to form in warmer, shallower water and to dissolve in colder, deeper water. Limestone can be very hard and take carving and polishing well, but it is vulnerable to acid precipitation. Calcium carbonate dissolves easily in acid. In fact, if you drip a little dilute acid on a piece of limestone, it will fizz.

The Bahamas are nothing but limestone formations contained within a ridge of shallow, warm water. Shells abound, and limestone and shells were used throughout this archipelago for buildings, paths, fences and graveyards.

Our group studied post-Revolutionary War life at the Gerace Research Center on San Salvador Island, and included some studies on Nassau/Paradise Island. All the images shown in this article and in the next article were taken on San Salvador, where Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in 1492. When images from Nassau are included, this information will be included in the image information.

While cemeteries exist on San Salvador, some older grave sites also are situated on property where the deceased lived. One such grave is shown at the top, and it shows a Christian leaning with the cross. But, this grave also includes shells, limestone rocks and is ‘cradled’ by a bed of carved limestone. In many cases, graves bear no identification, since the sites may be re-used. But, the locals always remember who is buried in any given spot on San Salvador, and this information often is passed down through generations. With that said, grave sites are less important than having a space to bury someone, and gravestones even are less important.

While death is important within this culture, where and how a person is buried seems to have little impact on the importance of that person’s afterlife. Wishing a person “home” is important, though, and symbolism helps with this transition for the living.

The history of the culture on San Salvador is African and European, depending upon who was the slave and the slave owner throughout the first decades of this island’s inhabited existence. During and after the American Revolutionary War, Europeans brought their influence to bear upon burial traditions, and this mix of island geography, European influence and African culture is seen in a San Salvadorian cemetery that includes European grave sites and sites that were used for slaves who had become native to the island since the Revolutionary War:

One cemetery's contrast between European influence...

...and African influence.

The two images above were taken at the same cemetery, and it shows the difference between the European burial influence and the African influence. The former contains headstones, an attempt to ‘corral’ the body with cement and/or limestone containment barriers and fences. The latter influence contains stones that emulate grave stones, piles of rocks and other artifacts that symbolize the attempt to help the soul into an afterlife.

In all cases, note the deterioration prevalent among the grave sites in a cemetery that is located in the middle of an island town. Cemeteries created in an environment conducive to tropical storms, salt air, water and limestone are difficult to maintain, and these issues contribute to the overall condition of grave sites and cemeteries throughout the islands.

Deterioration is prevalent, even among grave sites that seem important.

The next blog entry will show how some churches handle their burials, and you can learn more about symbolic gestures made for the dead and found among grave sites throughout the Bahamas as well as in many U.S. cemeteries.

Tags: Bahamas, Bahamian burial traditions
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Graveyard Etiquette, History of Funerals | 2 Comments »

Pennsylvania Welsh Speak from Slate Gravestones

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Photo of Slate Ridge Cemetery by Karen Novak at Findagrave.com

Perhaps no one knows the bond that Slate Ridge Cemetery holds to the Welsh community in Delta, Pennsylvania more than the Welsh immigrants who settled in that region and their descendants. Most of the inhabitants in Peach Bottom Township, Delta, Pennsylvania and in Cardiff and Whiteford, Maryland came from northern Wales, and surnames such as Jones, Williams, Hughes, Evans, Roberts and Morris abound in this area.

When the Welsh immigrants arrived during the 1800s, they brought both their culture and mining skills with them to work in the area slate mines. A certain pride went with mining in this region, as the slate extracted from the Peach Bottom mines was touted as the best in the world. And, because slate played such a large part in their lives (and in many deaths in the mining industry), the immigrants used it in all sorts of interesting ways. A trip to the area will reveal slate in roofs, steps, risers, sidewalks, window and door sills, fence posts and ornaments.

But, the most interesting use of slate is in the tombstones that you can find at Slateville, Slate Ridge and Mt. Nebo Cemeteries. These stones were created from the best slate with nothing but hand tools such as hammers, chisels and carving knives. According to the book, The River and The Ridge: 200 Years of Local History, Mr. Robert Evans of South Delta was responsible for most of the carvings. He learned his craft in Wales.

Most of the tombstone inscriptions located at Slate Ridge Cemetery are in the oldest form of the Welsh language and many of them are examples of a form of poetry, which is exclusively Welsh, known as Englynion. Most Welsh communities in this country had at least one resident poet, and it is generally agreed that locally there were two poets, as there is some variation in the style. No poems on the stones were signed, but the identity of one poet is known. His name is Robert W. Morris. He is mentioned in Rehoboth Church records as a man of the ‘finest character’ with a reputation as a ‘man of God placing him above all the rest.’ As was the outcome for many quarrymen in those days, he died as a young man, 44 years old, in 1886, of “miner’s consumption.”

One example of typical Welsh poetry is the inscription of “Hugh Williams, born in Ffestiniog, North Wales,” who died in 1865. Often these poems tell us something about the person’s life, or their personality. Williams’ inscription reads, in Welsh:

“Mi welaf Le mewn marwol glny I’r euog guddio’iben, Aoyno Llechaf news mynd-trwy Bad trallod is y nen”

(”I see a place in his wounds for a guilty one to rest, where I’ll abide through troubled life, A sanctuary for the blessed.”)

Another example tells about a woman’s life in a few words:

“Er cof Am Magdalene, priod Griffith R. Thomas, Bu Farw Medi 20, 1892 yb 33 mlwydd oed.
Geiriau segur a surion-ni Luniodd I flino’I chymdogion, ‘Ie,’ a “Nage’
Oedd ddigion O eiriau call y wraig hon”

(”In memory of Magdalene, wife of Griffith R. Thomas. Died September 20, 1892, at 33 years of age.
Nasty words and gossip – she never used to upset her neighbors, ‘yes’ and ‘no’ were all this wise lady said.”)

Many of my ancestors are buried at Slate Ridge Cemetery, and my father would tell stories about funerals he attended there. When he was young, he was allowed to chase rabbits along the stone walls so that he would not fidget during the funeral service. The Welsh traditions are alive and well even today in the Delta area, where you can learn the Welsh language at Rehoboth Welsh Church and find young men who still know how to split slate (a fine art, that!).

Tags: burial traditions, Slate Ridge Cemetery, Wales
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Historic Funeral Traditions: American Germans

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

Many early German grave stones contain elaborate hand-carved lettering.

Did you know that Americans of German descent outnumber those Americans of Irish and English descent? The first Germans to arrive in the New World were those who settled in Jamestown, Virginia in 1608. However, the most significant influx of Germans to American occurred during the nineteenth century, with settlements in New York and Pennsylvania.

When Germans arrived in America, like any other ethnic group, they brought their customs and beliefs with them. Some religious traditions have remained in place, such as those practiced by the Amish, Mennonites, Moravians and Hutterites, groups that were formed in the early years and that remain in existence today. While we have covered Amish funeral traditions, this article expands on those traditions to include some practiced in the past and that may be continued today outside the Amish community.

Because there are several different nationalities of German Americans, burial customs vary. But, outside the plain and simplistic logic of the Amish funeral, observers today can view the sadness and loss reflected in German cemetery markers located throughout the U.S. Symbols chosen include angels and females in mourning, urns, wreaths, drapery or shrouded figures in elaborate Gothic style. Early markers also include symbols, or hex signs, intended to ward off evil spirits such as rosettes, stars and stars within circles. Many of these symbols can be seen today, as those symbols may be painted on barns that belong to German ancestors.

Often, you can find German epitaphs such as:

Hier Legt (Here Lies)
Hier Ruhet (Here Rests)
Zum Andenken an (To the Memory of)

On the other hand, many Germans who migrated to the U.S. did so for religious freedom. As Lutherans, or Reformers, many German immigrants regarded death as a new beginning in an eternal life with God. Other traditions might follow along Catholic lines or as Methodists. Today, many German Americans have assimilated to the point that many people do not recognize their German ancestry – but they do recognize their religious affiliation, if any, and follow the advice of their religious advisers for funerals and death practices.

On the other hand, some U.S. funeral directors exist today who are proud of their German heritage and who have studied under German undertakers. Many of these funeral directors are members of the German National Funeral Directors Association and they speak English as well as fluent German. But, in Germany, death took a back seat until the 21st century. In 2007, Germans started the initiative to develop EosTV, a 24/7 show that talks about death and dying and geared mainly toward the elderly.

Death as a topic among Germans is largely suppressed or ignored until it happens. Then, survivors are often at a loss over what to do with their feelings, or how to navigate the practical matters around funerals and estates. To generalize, Germans in Germany today are similar to many other populations around the globe who fear death, yet who must inevitably face it individually.

Tags: Germany, Hutterites, Lutherans, Mennonites, Moravians
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Death & Dying, Funeral Arrangements, History of Funerals, Traditions | 1 Comment »

Motorcyclists – What a Way to Go!

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Garland "Crabb" Crabb pulls a flag-draped coffin in his motorcycle hearse.

Are you a motorcycle enthusiast? No matter your two-wheeled proclivities, as this week is Sturgis week in South Dakota. In honor of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Deathcare.com offers some interesting ways to pass to the great Motocross in the sky.

Hope Cemetery, located in Barre, Vermont, is located in granite territory, so odd tombstones are normal here. Artisans have sculpted tombstones of automobiles, easy chairs and one of an old man on a motorcycle. Other motorcycle tombstones include a laser-cut image of a motorcycle on a stone in southern California, a cycle without a rider in this image and another riderless cycle in what seems to be a European location.

No matter how you mark your grave, the point is how you’re going to get there. The following list contains five companies located throughout the U.S. that can supply you with a motorcycle-drawn hearse. These firms also are members of the American Motorcycle Hearse Association (AMCHA), a group of independent motorcycle hearse companies striving to be the most professional motorcycle hearses in the United States. The hearses range from the simple to the sublime, and the histories of these companies are just as interesting as their vehicles:

Black Diamond Motorcycle Hearse Service: Garland “Crabb” Crabb, owner, and Kenny “Krazylegs” Rosati handcrafted the hearse that is carried by a 1992 Electra Glide that was converted into a trike in January 2006 (see image above). That’s when business started in Bryan, Texas. Their mission is to never “disrespect our customers memory of their loved one by offering our hearse for anything except what it was created for…’A Ride To Remember.’” Thanks to Crabb for permission to use that photo.
Cournoyer Funeral Home: This one is unusual, as this is a funeral home that owns New England’s only tombstone hearse. It can be used by any family, at any funeral home in New England, with as little as 24 hours advance notice. Known as the Series III, a three-wheeled cycle carries a hearse with a laminated deck floor with cut mohair trim and crushed velour curtains that line the decoratively etched safety glass windows. It is an exact replica of a horse drawn hearse from the 1800’s – the only difference is, of course, the modern day “horse” hitched to the front of it.
Iron Hearse Destinations: Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this funeral option was built by Lloyd Robbins, Harley rider of three-plus decades. He built a glass-sided caisson to pull with a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide trike and in June 2008 launched his business. Robbins took nine months to build the $5,000 caisson he uses out of the same materials used in road signs. He painted “Final Journey” on it and bolted a “JURNY” license plate on the rear. Robbins wears a white shirt buttoned to the top, a black vest and one spur on his riding boots while on duty.
Lone Spur Hearse: This company, located in St. Louis, Missouri, is a newly established D.A.V.-owned-and-operated Motorcycle Hearse Service. Their standard attire throughout our duties includes black pants, boots, vest, armband and – of course – a lone spur. If desired, biker leather can be an alternative attire. Their services will begin in September this year.
Ride to Eternity, LLC: Big Bill and Judie use a Gold Wing to pull you into eternity. They are located in Tarpon Springs, Florida and serve west-central Florida. The hearse is equipped with a clear custom ceremonial urn display case that can be used at the memorial ceremony and then carried by four pall bearers to the coach. They also carry infant, standard, oversized, and pet caskets.

Look through the sites above and through other member sites to learn more about each company and about the company they keep. You’ll discover other motorcycle hearse companies that may not be members of the AMCHA – at least not yet. And, you may discover funeral homes that are friendly to bikers.

From what we can see, almost every biker dedicated to carrying his biker bethren to biker heaven also is dedicated to military veterans and to helping you find a funeral home that will work with your wishes. So, take you time and find a motorcycle hearse company in your region and follow up on a biker’s last dream.

Tags: motorcycle hearse, motorcycle tombstone
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Homes, Plan Your Own | 1 Comment »

Historic Funeral Traditions: Mormons

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Monument to four generations of a branch of the Smith family, prominent in LDS history.

Mormons, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormons see themselves as a new branch of Christianity; therefore, they often use Christian funeral practices, but they have developed a culture and customs that include how they see death and bury their dead.

For instance, the emotions that surround a Mormon funeral rite usually combine sorrow and hope, as they believe that the soul separates from the body at death and they anticipate a reunion with their deceased loved ones when they die, too. These emotions are shared in gatherings as the body is viewed at a funeral home. Preparing a body for viewing is based upon Temple Worthy status. To be Temple Worthy means that the person holds the highest degree of member commitment. This status is indicated by robes and undergarments worn during the endowment ceremony and during burial.

In areas of the country were a high population of Temple Worthy individuals live, the funeral home may be familiar with the custom of dress during burial. In other parts of the country where funeral homes are unfamiliar with Mormon custom, the family may dress the deceased for burial at the funeral home – men dress men and women dress women (similar to the Amish). Those individuals who are not Temple Worthy are dressed in whatever clothing the family chooses.

Mormon funerals usually are held in an LDS chapel or a mortuary under the direction of the bishop of the ward. Funerals open and close with sacred music and prayer, sometimes involving congregational singing or a choir. It is customary for a church member to begin the service with a prayer on behalf of the family, and the funeral includes reminiscences and eulogies as well as talks about the Atonement, the Resurrection, life after death, and related doctrines that comfort and inspire the bereaved.

Graveside services usually are simple, and attended only by family and friends. Mormon cemeteries are similar to other Christian cemeteries in that the dead are buried on an east-west axis. Before 1904, when the practice of plural marriage ended with the Second Manifesto, a man was buried with his wives in a row next to him.

One who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, usually a member or close friend of the family, dedicates the grave asking God to protect it as a hollowed resting place until the resurrection. Local law in some countries may dictate cremation rather than burial, but in the absence of such a law, burial is preferred because of its doctrinal symbolism. Ultimately, however, the decision is left to the family of the deceased. Bishops are counseled to show regard for family wishes. The grave site often becomes a sacred spot for the family of the deceased to visit and care for.

Mormon headstones often are simple affairs, but many contain detailed genealogical information, especially the woman’s maiden name. Headstones that mark a married couple’s grave may include a marriage date, if not all the names of the parents and children. Symbols include the all-seeing eye of God, which also is common on Masonic headstones. This symbol stems from the time when Mormon leaders associated with Freemasons during the nineteenth century.

Other headstone symbols include a hand of God descending from a cloud, the handshake, a beehive (industriousness) or a sandblasted image of the membership temple or the temple where a couple was married. The significance of the temple indicates the union will extend past the resurrection into eternity.

Tags: LDS, Melchizedek Priesthood, Mormon
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Death & Dying, Death Practices, Funeral Arrangements, History of Funerals | 2 Comments »

False Crypts: Great hiding places for the homeless

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Two false crypts located in Salado town cemetery, Bell County, Texas.

If you’ve ever visited a New Orleans cemetery, you’ve probably seen a crypt, or an above-ground tomb. False crypts, also known as chest tombs, box tombs, stonebox graves or crypts, look like an above-ground tomb, but the body is buried underground. The crypt itself usually contains an enclosed base made of stone, brick or concrete, and a top rests on that base. The top may be inscribed with information about the deceased.

Unfortunately, the inscriptions often bear the brunt of weathering, so they become hard to read after a period of time. While this slab provided information about the deceased, it also provided the dead with a measure of protection. The stone slab placed over a grave is called a “wolf stone,” because its purpose was to prevent wolves and other animals from digging up the grave.

False crypts occur often in east Texas and in various other southern-populated counties. Often, these false crypts represent a minority group. While many attribute false crypts to Louisiana French influence, this type of marker occurs throughout the south, especially in colonial graveyards.

False Crypts also are found in some Bahamian cemeteries. In some instances, I witnessed homeless people sheltered in false crypts that had been broken into to create an entrance to the crypt. After all – these crypts provide excellent shelter from the elements and a safe place to hide. But, there’s nothing like being frightened by a person hiding in a false crypt while conducting cemetery research.

This is one reason why it’s a good idea to practice safety guidelines while in cemeteries, especially in areas where customs are far different than what you’ve experienced in the past.

Image: From the book, Texas Graveyards, by Terry G. Jordan.

Tags: Bahamas, false crypts, Texas
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Types of Tombstones

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Graveyards can exhibit a wide variety of marker materials.

If you’re fond of strolling through cemeteries, you know that tombstones and grave markers come in a wide variety of styles and substances. Few people, however, realize that a stone can be dated simply from the material used. In fact, you can determine if a marker is a replacement, simply by understanding the composition of the stone. For instance, a granite stone marking a grave dug before 1880 is not an original marker.

The following list explains the types of markers used and who used them during various time frames throughout the U.S.:

Before 1650: Graves usually were marked with field stones or with wood markers and many grave sites were not marked at all. Field stone markers usually were inscribed by hand with the deceased’s initials. Some of these types of markers were used well into the early 1900s, especially in rural areas. In some cases, marble was imported from Europe for markers, and the design was either inscribed in Europe or when it arrived in the colonies. These markers were reserved for those families who were ‘well-heeled,’ or who could afford such a marker.
1660-1850: Markers often were made from sandstone or limestone or slate. Slate is more resistant to weathering and pollution and shows less wear in the elements, too. Slate, however, does flake and peel. Slate markers were popular in the Maryland area where slate mines abounded, but slate markers also are found in Buckingham County, Virginia, where a small slate operation was conducted during that same era. People also continued to use wood markers, and many exotic stones still were imported from Europe.
1830-1850: Marble became more popular in the states, as it began to be mined locally. Marble, however, is prone to staining and weathering and dissolves easily in acid-rain pollution. Eventually, marble surfaces can begin to become pitted and grooved and inscriptions can become illegible. This era also marked the beginning of adding photographs to tombstones. The photos might have been taken while the deceased was still alive, but post-mortem photos also were used.
1880-1910: Granite and cast-metal markers began to be used along with raised lettering. Soft granite is prone to moss and lichen deterioration. In the early 1900s, sandblasting replaced hand-carved inscriptions in many cases. Home burials still retained the methods used in previous decades and centuries.
1910-present: Granite remains the most popular stone used for markers, and it often is polished. This type of stone appears to weather the elements more gracefully than any other stone used throughout history. Some markers and grave boundaries are made from concrete.
1980-present: Artistic stones may incorporate glass, metal and shapes beyond the usual rectangular stone. Also, stones that incorporate scenery and occupational art are included on many stones. These feats often are accomplished with laser imprinting stone with images and sketches.

While old memorials and artwork engraved on those stones are considered art pieces, some newer stones are making marks as well. Some of the more artistic stones can be viewed at West Memorials, Interglo Stone, Art Stone Bone and Artistic Memorials and Monuments among other sites. Surely these memorials will mark an era as well as new ways to memorialize the dead are conceived.

Tags: Cemeteries, gravestone, marker
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Types of Cemeteries

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Are you a genealogist or a social historian? Do you like spending time in cemeteries, looking at the headstone artwork or searching for dead ancestors? Then, it might help to learn a bit more about the types of cemeteries you may encounter. According to Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery, cemeteries have eight different classifications:

Church Graveyard: This type of cemetery represents this country’s first formal cemetery. This tradition was carried from Europe, especially the habit of burying the elite under a church stone floor or in the church burial yard, which usually was adjacent to the church. When the smell from decaying bodies became too pungent, the town cemetery was born. Usually, property on the outskirts of a town was selected for that town burial area. Grave placement in church cemeteries and early town graveyards often were haphazard.
Family Burial Plots: Often called “family cemeteries,” family members, spouses who married into the family and even friends were buried in plots in these graveyards. Plantation living in the south made this type of graveyard typical, as it often was impractical to carry a body into a town for a church or town burial. Most often, the plots in these family cemeteries were placed on a high point on the property.
Country Cemetery: You’ll see these cemeteries as you drive along highways (not Interstates) in America. Sometimes these cemeteries sit on the edge of a town, sometimes they are within a mile or two of town and they usually sit on a hill to protect the plots from floods. Often, these cemeteries contain homemade or mail-order markers and you’ll rarely find huge monuments or masoleums in these graveyards.
Garden Cemetery: As American attitudes changed toward death with the popularity of embalming (making death beautiful or lifelike), cemeteries also began to take on an aesthetic look. “Cemetery” replaced “graveyard” and “burying ground,” and the first park cemetery was created in 1831 at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massechusetts. This type of cemetery resembles a park, with paths, ponds, trees and benches. People began to use these garden cemeteries for group picnics or solitary contemplation, for strolls and even for making love. These cemeteries were named with monikers that helped people envision lovely parks. These cemeteries usually are large and if you’re seeking a grave you may need to stop at a garden cemetery office for a map.
Urban Cemetery: City cemeteries might resemble stone yards with their rows of tombstones, straight paths and little foliage.
Veterans Cemetery: These cemeteries are reserved for honorably discharge military men and their families. More than three million people, including veterans of every war and conflict – from the Revolutionary War to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan – are buried in national cemeteries created for veterans, which have a total of more than 17,000 acres of land from Hawaii to Maine and from Alaska to Puerto Rico.
Memorial Park or Lawn-Park Cemetery: These cemeteries became popular in the late twentieth century (although the first one was built in 1917 – Forest Lawn in southern California), and they consist of flat, grassy lawns with little visible evidence that this is, indeed, a graveyard. The purpose behind these graveyards is to eliminate any suggestion of death, as most plots are marked with flat markers that are flush with the ground.
Potter’s Field: This is where a county or city buried its poor residents, unkown drifters and the unwanted including criminals, suicides and illegitimate babies. Sometimes you may find mass graves, temporary markers or no marker at all.

Outside the church or town cemetery scenario, in most cases you may find graves places on an east-west axis with inscriptions facing east or west. Many inscriptions may face west so visitors do not stand on the grave to read the inscription. If you find a footstone marker to the west of the headstone, then you’ll know that the body was buried on an east-west axis so that – at the Christian resurrection – the body would rise facing east.

Unfortunately, since many weather patterns in this country move from west to east, the weather has become a factor in the deterioration of many headstone inscriptions.

Image: The town cemetery on the plains of Calhan, Colorado.

Tags: church, memorial park, veterans
Posted in About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Death & Dying, Death Practices, Funeral Arrangements, History of Funerals, Traditions | 1 Comment »

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