Headstone Designs, Symbols, Cherubs, Iconography Found in Cemeteries

Have you ever wondered what Headstone Designs, Symbols, Cherubs & Icons mean when you’re visiting cemeteries? Can they help you with your genealogy? In this video we’re going to explore the historic icons found in graveyards and cemeteries and talk about their meaning.

Special thanks to Eric Kozen, superintendent at Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, NC for leading this tour.

➡️ US Millitary Headstone Symbols Wikipedia

➡️ Oakdale Cemetery Symbols and Icons

➡️ Friends of Oakdale Cemetery

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Music Credits for Song on Word Tree Open
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[tiffanymims]

Thank you for this video! I am a Superintendent of a cemetery established in 1876. This helps me understand more about our stones!

[donaldlindgren]

Another important thing to know about markers is that some are cenotaphs. That is a marker for someone buried elsewhere. These are frequently for men who died at war. I have a cousin who died in a Confederate military prison and buried in an unknown grave. There is a cenotaph for him in a cemetery near his home in Western New York. Many cenotaphs have "In Memory" carved in the marker near the top.

[deanareich]

I love all of the information that you share in Genealogy TV. Cemeteries have so much information. And the symbols & words they share are so special. Thank you for everything you share.

[tedmetzger]

Great information from Eric! I didn’t realize there was so much symbolism in the headstones. It looks like a wonderful cemetery and I’ll have to visit it the next time I’m in Wilmington.

[minikitz]

Connie, that was fascinating! What a wealth of info Eric was. I learned a lot, as I always do, from your videos. Thanks, Debbie Jones

[marshashoemake]

Thank you! There was so much information. Great resources.

[watchman]

Great video and info, I love graveyards.

[exdus]

Wow! Beautifully done. Everything, from opening moving scene to rock solid camera work, beautiful area and time of day, and such an enthusiastic, sharing guide. Loved this. Learned so much. Will share with many. Thank you. 👌👌👌

[superduperjoi]

This is awesome. I need to turn my notfications on. Some of my family is from there!!

[carolbianchi]

Way too interesting! Great subject, and great info! 🤓

[firefalcon]

this is actually very fascinating information. I've always liked the large monuments from the antebellum period he described. Wish I could have one in that style when i go.

[frenchustube]

In France the book with the quill is still very popular. It comes from a poem from Alphonse de Lamartine from the mid 1800's and it reads:
"The book of life is the supreme book that you can neither close nor reopen at your choice; we would like to return to the page that we like but the page where we die is already under our fingers"

[stitchengramie]

I found this video very informative. I always wondered what all these types of headstone meant.

[cindylouwho]

Your videos are always so informative, thank you! If you have not already done a video on this, i would love to see one on different tips on filling in your family tree records. i.e. where do you put the change in spelling on the name? If you only have circa dates, how do you know how long of a time do you put it in. I have quite a few mothers with no last maiden names, (and of course they are all Marys or Elizabeths!) Any better way to file them, do you put their married surname down instead? What about siblings and their spouses and children? How far down that line do you go? What about sons have the same first name, do you do anything to tell them apart other than dates? If you have done anything along those lines, could you please post the title of the video. Thank you in advance for all of your videos.

[robertsbecky]

If you are interested in seeing old graveyards, PLEASE READ THIS.So many old graves are losing the ability to read what is / was on the gravestone. It would be really great if we could come together to have small plaques made for each of them in order to help identify whose grave it is. I think whoever owns / manages the grave should have records on who is in each grave. I am sure some graves may be so old that there is no way to find out. However it would help preserve the info we can read and or find out about each grave, for future generations. I have no idea on the cost it would take to have a small plaque made. However if we came together as a community, I am sure donations and fundraisers could help cover the cost. Maybe starting with the older graves and posting info on where families could have plaques made for their loved ones, whom they visit. It's only a good idea if many people help to come together to make it happen. I am disabled and low income. However it is heartbreaking to see videos of older graves that are in such bad shape that they are falling apart and or hard to read.

[checle]

Connie, what great information! My 2nd ggp's have a granite marker that is about 4ft by 4ft and on each side of their names are carved tree trunks. It has fascinated me since the first time I saw it, especially since I had not seen anything like it any where else. They died 1897 and 1900 and are buried in Ashland, OH. Now I have some idea why tree trunks on their marker. They had both come from Germany in the 1840's - do you suppose this was also a cultural thing? Thank you - your videos are a fantastic resource for us amateurs.

[garycarpenter]

Come to Charlotte, NC and see what we have here

[MillerMeteor]

I'm in New Jersey. The only tree stones I have ever seen were from Woodmen of the World, and Modern Woodmen of the World, and they have all been under 4 feet tall. I have that Stories in Stone book.

[garycarpenter]

I have a vault with my parents in Gastonia and my sister, she's still here

[charlesoday]

I love exploring cemeteries I manly do this in search of my family I also enjoy reading them course some folks think that I am morbid doing this