GENEALOGY

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SECRET Symbols of CEMETERIES

By Courtney Henderson

A 196 walk through a cemetery when researching ancestors can be a haunting yet beautiful and reflective experience. Aside from the names, birthdates, and death dates, what other secrets might their tombstones reveal?

Those majestic, weather-worn stone carvings that you see (popularized by those cipher-loving Victorians from 1839 to 1920) are more than pure decoration. They mean something: a virtue the person ex emplified, a value they held dear, or a nod to how they earned their living.

The table opposite gives the meanings behind 21 popular gravestone symbols. (There are many more.) A revelation about your ancestor's life may just be right in front of you, hidden in plain sight!

Courtney Henderson is the digital editor of our sister publication Family Tree magazine. For much more information about all things genealogical, go to Familytreemagazine.com.