Tombstone inscription abbreviations
There is nothing like a visit to an cemetery to make you feel close to
an ancestor. You are walking the very ground where they were buried and
where they may have walked once long ago and visited loved ones. Tombstone, gravestone or mounument can be plain or they can be decorated with art and symbols and wording that have meaning you might not fully appreciate.
Some examples of words or letters you might find engraved include:
"B.P.O.E." means Benevolent Protective Order of Elks
"F.L.T." with each letter in a link of a chain means Friendship, Love
and Truth
(see "I.O.O.F.")
"F.O.E." Means Fraternal Order of Eagles
"G.A.R." means Grand Army of the Republic. It was an organization of
Civil War
Union Army veterans.
"I.O.O.F." means International Order of Odd Fellows (see "F.L.T.").
"V.D.M." means "verbi Dei minister" (Minister of the Word of God).
"W.O.W." means "Woodmen of the World". Upright tree stump markers are
typical
of the fraternity.
"Relect" carved on a woman's headstone means she died a widow.
"Consort" means
she outlived her husband.
Some examples of engraved symbols include:
Anchors and Ships: Hope or Seafaring profession
Arches: Victory in Death
Arrows: Mortality
Broken column: Loss of head of family
Broken ring: Family circle severed
Bugles: Military (see Trumpeters)
Butterfly: Short-lived; early death
Candle being snuffed: Time, mortality
Cherub: Angelic
Compass and Square: Masonic emblems
Corn: Ripe old age
Cross: Symbol of Christian hope
Crossed Swords: Officer in the military
Darts: Mortality
Doves: The soul, purity, innocence, gentleness
Father Time: Mortality, The Grim Reaper
Flowers: Brevity of early existence, sorrow
Flowers: Condolence, grief, sorrow
Flying Birds: Flight of the soul
Fruits : Eternal plenty
Garlands : Victory in death
Hand of God Chopping: Sudden death
Hands of God Chopping: Sudden Death
Handshakes: Farewell to earthly existence
Harp: Praise to the Maker
Hearts: Blissfulness or love of Christ
Hourglass with wings: Time flying; short life
Hourglass: Swiftness of time
Ivy: Friendship and immortality
Lamb: Innocence
Laurel: Fame or victory
Lily or lily of valley: Emblem of innocence and purity
Morning glory: Beginning of life
Oak leaves and acorn: Maturity, ripe old age
Open book or Bible: Deceased teacher, minister, etc.
Palm Branch: Signifies victory and rejoicing
Picks and shovels: Mortality
Poppy: Sleep
Portals: Passageway to eternal journey
Rose in full bloom: Prime of life
Rosebud: Morning of life or renewal of life
Roses: Brevity of mortal life
Sheaf of wheat: Ripe for harvest, divine harvest time
Shells: Pilgrimage of life
Stars and stripes around eagle: Eternal vigilance, liberty
Suns: The Resurrection
Thistles: Remembrance
Tombs: Mortality
Torch Inverted: Life extinct
Tree stump with ivy: Head of family; immortality
Trees: Life
Trumpeters: Heralds of the resurrection
Urn with flame: Undying friendship
Urn with wreath or crepe: mourning
Willows: Emblem of sorrow
Winged effigies: Flight of the soul
A cenotaph is not a grave marker at all.
It is a monument erected in memory of someone who died elsewhere, perhaps at sea.
Posted by, Jan
More Replies:
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations
Nanci Presley-Holley 3/11/07
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations
Jan Rose 3/11/07
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations
Nanci Presley-Holley 5/08/07
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations
Kristin Kraske 5/08/07
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Re: Tombstone inscription abbreviations