I have personally observed Boston slate gravestones as far away as Charleston, SC, and Savannah Georgia. They range greatly in size, shape, and style, depending on the region, landscape, and religious influences upon which they were built. Very few wooden markers have survived from that time.As these grave markers were simple, there were no symbols carved on them. By the middle of the 1700s.depending on the religious influences, the materials available, and the gravestone carver’s own background, the once simple stoic stone inscriptions flourished into elaborate, ornately shaped and carved headstones.By the early 1700s, Newport Rhode Island had two of its own full time gravestone carvers, John Bull and John Stevens.
Unlike many stones you find across the country, they have well-defined sections and the look of a bed’s headboard. Due to these factors and increasing health concerns, the rural cemetery was born. Gravediggers may have purposely left spaces for relicts or consorts, for the spouse who was still living, but the earliest graveyards show evidence of people making due with what was available. Due to its long formation process, marble is known as a metamorphic rock.Very white marble is composed of almost pure calcium carbonate. Although now run by another family, The Newport slate however, is not quite as enduring as the Boston slates and often eroded over time, causing the carvings and inscription to become faded, sometimes to the point of being very difficult to read. Griswold’s expertise is evidenced by the fact that the more recent carving is more eroded then the original stone face on the southern side.About 15 miles to the south of Hartford lay Middletown, CT. Today the town is known as Portland, but in Colonial times was part of Middletown, then called East Middletown, due to it location, just east of the Connecticut River where the sandstones cliffs can still be seen today, lining the eastern edge. Flowers had a language all their own, and there were books written just about them. “Cemeteries”, from a Greek word, means, “sleeping place”, were planned burial places, which were situated intentionally away from population centers, either on the outskirts of the city or in the adjacent suburbs. As Boston and Rhode Island exported headstones to other parts of colonial America, other regions remained more local, and relied upon their own resources to honor their departed family members.Before the railroads connected the New England towns it was very difficult and time consuming to move stone, which weighs around 150 pounds per cubic foot, so many other kinds of stones were employed regionally during the colonial era. He likely received training overseas, but arrived in Winsor in the middle of the 1600s, already an expert stone carver. Here are examples of Victorian flower symbols found on gravestones:Acorn - Fertility, potential, immortality, and life; part of the oak’s circle of lifeFlower, broken stem - Mortality, a life cut short Willow tree - Mourning, sorrow; also known as weeping willowYou can also find many other symbols dating back to the mid-1800s on grave markers such as:Circle - Eternity; can also be a serpent in a circle with tail in its mouthColumn or Urn, with draping - Draped cloth represented the covering for a coffin, also known as a pallHand, pointing down - Hand of God reaching down to bring the soul to HeavenHand, pointing up - Denotes the soul is going to HeavenHands, clasped with male and female sleeves - Marriage, matrimonyHands, clasped with one male sleeve and one with robed sleeve - God welcoming the soul to Heaven; unity with GodHands, clasped with two male sleeves - Farewell to earthly existence; also used by Masons and Independent Order of OddfellowsFor those who believed in a religion, they were able to have symbols of their faith proudly displayed on their grave markers.
There was almost no slate at all for gravestones in Connecticut, however a huge amount of sandstone was available for use.
This week I would like to revert back to decoding New England gravestone symbols. These men introduced “artistry and craftsmanship” to what would become a profession.Let’s consider the first wave of gravestones carved with images. But once in America, they quickly adopted many varied and regional styles. The Boston area also held a wealth of extremely high quality slate stone, which was both easy to carve and very durable to weathering. In 1797, the New Haven Burying Ground was incorporated, and would become known as The Grove Street Cemetery. This is part of Cake's collection of The Victorians were very much into the symbolic, and not just with their cemeteries. (sometimes referred to as “shoulders”), and the main area of worded information is called the . It became so popular that Carrera marble, for example, was imported from Italy for this purpose for use by wealthy patrons.The biggest problem with marble however is its inability to resist acids, such as acid rain in a modern outdoor environment. Within the next few decades, nearly every city in America would follow suit. An example of such a stone would say “Heare lyeth the body of John Bissell deceased – October the 3 1677 in the 86 years of – his age” (located in Windsor, Connecticut). An Armchair Academic. Put on your Sherlock Holmes cap and grab your magnifying glass. The higher the silicate content, the stronger and more durable to the stone will be.In Connecticut there are abundant sandstone veins running from the shore in the south, to Long Meadow, MA, and beyond in the north. It is the box crypt tomb in Palisado cemetery. Slate stone, though, wouldn’t come into play for tombstones until at least 1734 after it was originally quarried.