Page 3

Orb and cross--If this design has the letters V.F.W. on it, the deceased was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. An example can be found in the southern half of block G in the Woodlawn Addition. If the design has a dove over it, then the deceased was a Fourth Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. An example of this design can be found in the West block of the St. Bernard Addition, just north of the Priest's Plot.

Ring--Rings are common on late twentieth century stones of couples. Most rings have the word "married" and a wedding date engraved either on the ring or beneath it, making it obvious that it symbolizes a marriage. An example of this design can be found in block one of the Sunny Slope addition.

Wedding Ring

Rosary--A rosary is a string of beads arranged in a series of ten small beads then one large bead. A crucifix is attached where the ends join. It is used by Catholics as a counting device when praying a devotional cycle in which the "Hail Mary" and other prayers are repeated. An engraving of a rosary indicates the deceased was a Catholic and used this devotional. A twentieth century example can be found in the northeast corner of the St. Bernard Addition.

Rosary Beads

Rose--The rose symbolizes "the brevity of earthly existence." [21] The Clausen stone (1890), located in block B of the Original Section, is one example.

Rose

Sickle and bundle of wheat--Seen together, the wheat and sickle represent the harvest when Christians are separated from the chaff. This is taken from Christ’s Parable of the wheat field (Matthew 13:25). [22] The metal Brookins-Moore marker (early twentieth century) is a good example of this design. It is located in block B of the Original Section.

Wheat.

Trees--Trees may have different meanings depending on the type tree. In general, it represents the tree of life, either this one or the next. [23] A willow tree represents both earthly sorrow and celestial joy. [24] An example is the William S. Baldwin stone (1855) found in block G of the Original Section. Oak branches, like those found on the Waldmann stone (late nineteenth century; located in block I of the Original Section), are a symbol of faith and endurance. [25]


Willow Tree	Leaves

Trefoil--A trefoil is a three-lobed symbol similar to a shamrock. It stands for the Trinity. [26] One example of this in the Old Section of Greenwood is an obelisk slanted near the top like a roof and topped with a trefoil. The family name is Geyer (1884) and it can be found in block F of the Original Section.

Trefoil

Upside down star--This star is the symbol of the Order of the Eastern Star, an organization made up of wives of Freemasons. [27] An example can be found in block one of the Sunny Slope Addition.

Upside Down Star

Urn--The urn is a symbol of death because it is commonly used for holding human ashes. [28] Urns are a very common image in Greenwood. One example can be found on the Ufford stone (1915). It is located in block A of the Original Cemetery.

Urn

Wreath--Wreaths evolved from the earliest crowns made from leaves and branches. It represents victory over death. [29] The nineteenth century Showers monument, located in block D of the Original Section, is an example.

Metal Wreath

ENDNOTES

1. "Cemetery Symbolism: A Wary Glossary", Cities of the Silent Website,
<http://www.best.com/~gazissax/silence/symbols/symbols1.html>.

2. Elwood W. Post, Saints Signs and Symbols (New York: Morehouse Barlow
Company, 1962), 73.

3. Cities of the Silent Website, 1.

4. John Gary Brown, Soul in the Stone: Cemetery Art From America's Heartland
(Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1994), 53.

5. Cities of the Silent Website, 2.

6. Thomas Albert Stafford, Christian Symbolism in Evangelical Churches (New York:
Abington-Cokesbury Press, 1942), 143.

7. Stafford, 65.

8. Stafford, 89.

9. Stafford, 122.

10. Francis V. Duvall and Ivan B. Rigby, Early American Gravestone Art in Photographs
(New York: Doves Publications, Inc., 1978), 132; Post,19.

11. Cities of the Silent Website, 5.

12. Post, 23.

13. Brown, 53.

14. Cities of the Silent Website, 3.

15. Cities of the Silent Website, 3.

16. "Albrecht Durer," Artchives Website, (http://www.artchive.com).

17. Stafford, 58.

18. Cities of the Silent Website, 3.

19. Cities of the Silent Website, 3.

20. Duvall, 132.

21. Duvall, 132.

22. Cities of the Silent Website, 4.

23. Cities of the Silent Website, 5.

24. G. Walker Jacobs, Stranger Stop and Cast Your Eye: A Guide to Gravestones
and Grave Rubbings (Brattleoboro, Vermont: Stephen Careen Press, 1973), 26.

25. Post, 64.

26. Stafford, 50.

27. "Free Masonry," The Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 4. Chicago, 1988, 966.

28. Jacobs, 26.

29. Duvall, 132.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Albrecht Durer." Artchives Website. http://www.artchives.com

"A Wary Glossary of Cemetery art." Cities of the Silent Website.
http://www.best.com/~gazissax/silence/symbols/symbols1.html.

Brown, John Gary. Soul in the Stone: Cemetery Art from America’s Heartland. Lawrence:
University of Kansas Press, 1994

Duvall, Francis V. and Ivan B. Rigby. Early American Gravestone Art in Photographs.
New York: Doves Publications, Inc., 1978.

Jacobs, G. Walker. Stranger Stop and Cast Your Eye: A Guide to Gravestones and
Grave Rubbings. Brattleboro, Vermont: Stephen Cereen Press, 1973.

Post, W. Elwood. Saints, Signs, and Symbols. New York: Morehouse-Barlow Company, 1962.

Stafford, Thomas Albert. Christian Symbolism in the Evangelical Churches. New York:
Abington-Cokesbury Press, 1942.