Here are 20 gravestone angels from Colonial America – preserved with the BillionGraves app!
If you had died in Colonial America, there is a good chance that an angel would have been carved on your gravestone. Perhaps the angel would have been a bit funny-looking by today’s standards, but it would have been recognizable as an angel. It would probably have been hand-carved in marble, one of the softest stones during that time period.
As you look at these gravestone angels, bear in mind that they were all carved by hand with a chisel and hammer. It was very time-consuming, unforgiving work. While some of the gravestone angels have similar features, each gravestone is unique in some way. It must have been immensely rewarding for the stone carvers to step back and look at their completed work as each angel came to life.
Head on Wings
This simple gravestone angel for Widow Jane Webster at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont, features a head resting on top of wings. Notice that the wings are not behind the head but below the chin. It almost looks like a watermelon resting on a pile of stiff feathers. A watermelon with a little white powdered wig. And eyeballs. Big eyeballs. Yet, somehow, it is still beautiful. Perfectly symmetrical and strikingly beautiful.
Owl-Like Angel
This gravestone carving looks like a cross between an angel and a figure in a burial shroud. (Or an owl?) It was carved in memory of Elizabeth Harmon, who died in 1798 at the age of 83. It is also at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont.
Her biographical sketch notes that she was a follower of Christ and left behind a “large circle of Christian relatives” to mourn her death.
Irish Angel
This gravestone angel marks the grave of Lieutenant James Breakenridge, who was born in 1721 in Ireland and died in 1783. James came to America with his father at the age of six, and they settled in Ware, Massachusetts. James was a lieutenant in the French War and also led the first military company in Vermont during the Revolutionary War. He married Mary Moore, and the couple had 13 children.
The angel on Breakenridge’s gravestone is surrounded by scrolls and flowers, filling every open space, which was a common style for angel gravestones in Colonial America.
Birdlike Wings
The angel face on the gravestone for James Murray sits above a fleur-de-lis, and the wings are quite birdlike. Murray died in 1783 and is also buried in Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont.
Many people in Colonial America were buried in 1783 due to a smallpox epidemic. While other diseases were also prevalent at the time, such as yellow fever, malaria, and dysentery, smallpox was particularly feared and had a devastating impact on the population, with mortality rates ranging from 30% to 50%.
The gravestone angel for Hepzibah Fillmore in Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont has many fleur-de-lis embellishments. Like James Murray, Fillmore also died in 1783, at the peak of the smallpox epidemic.
The Blair Family Gravestone Angels
The gravestone angel for Mary Blair, wife of Lieutenant Robert Blair, has lines or wrinkles around the eyes and fancy wings that are behind the head rather than under the chin. The decorative scrolls give the appearance of a collar and headdress.
Mary also died during the smallpox epidemic of 1783 and is buried in Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont.
This is the gravestone angel for Mary’s husband, Lieutenant Robert Blair. He died in 1794, eleven years after Mary’s death. The angel on his gravestone looks similar to others at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery but there is a basket of flowers beneath the angel’s face. Across the top of the gravestone are the fitting words, “O’ Relentless Death”.
Following the death of his wife, Lieutenant Robert Blair remarried to Lydia House, and they had two children. The youngest was a daughter named Diadama Blair, who died in 1790, at the age of 19 months. This is her gravestone. (“O’ Relentless Death”, indeed!)
The angel on Diadama’s gravestone is nearly identical to the angel on her father’s gravestone above. The scalloped curves at the top of her gravestone are symbolic of the clouds of heaven.
Another Baby’s Gravestone Angel
This is the gravestone angel for two-year-old Harriot Hubbel, who died in 1797 and is buried in Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont. This angel’s unique feature is her collar.
“My ancestor went to heaven and all I got was this t-shirt.”
Samuel Sherwood died in 1788 and is buried at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont. Some people think Sherwood’s gravestone angel is so cool that they have put the image on t-shirts.
Momento Mori
Mrs. Experience Holme died in 1774 and is buried at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont. Her gravestone says “Memento Mori” at the top.
“Memento Mori” is an ancient Greek practice that dates back to 3 BC, a tool for self-reflection, positivity, and mindful living. It’s a reminder that death is inevitable and life is short, urging us to prioritize what truly matters and avoid wasting time on trivial pursuits.
Today we would say that “Memento Mori” is a reminder to live with intention and make the most of each day.
Buried in 1794, Bolina Smith has an angel gravestone with the same face as many others at Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery, but it is missing its wings.
Her gravestone angel also promotes “Momento Mori”.
Examples of Other “Memento Mori” Symbols:
Upside-down torches: Indicating a life and a light that has been extinguished
Winged Skulls: A common symbol of death and mortality
Hourglasses: Symbolic of the quick passage of time and the fleeting nature of life
Consorts
The epitaph on this angel gravestone reads, “Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Sarah Hubbel, the amiable consort of Lieutenant Aaron Hubbel who departed this life in hopes of a blessed immortality the 18th day of April 1797 in the 31st year of her age.” (In case you wondered, “amiable” means “friendly” and a “consort” is a “legal wife”. )
This young wife was honored with a gravestone that must have taken considerable time to carve. It has an intricate geometric pattern around the inscription and clusters of grapes hanging from vines. The angel’s wings almost appear to be on fire!
This inscription reads, “Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Mehetabel Hubbel, the amiable consort of Mr. Elnathan Hubbel, who finished a life of exemplary piety.” She died in 1770 at the age of 51.
The angel looks fierce. (We might not want to meet up with him in a dark cemetery!) The wings have both short downy and long stiff feathers.
Imagine you are a gravestone carver in Colonial America, and you suddenly realize that you forgot a letter in one of the words, such as “consort”. What do you do? No worries! Just put an arrow in the space and add the missing letter. (By the way, the letter that looks like “f” in “consort” is actually an “s”.)
A Silent Angel
Thomas Carson died in 1791 and is also buried in Bennington Center Old First Church Cemetery in Old Bennington, Vermont. Isn’t his gravestone angel amazing?! It’s a little chipped but remarkably clean, allowing all the fine detailed carving to shine.
His angel has a well-defined nose and big buggy eyes, but no mouth. Silence is golden.
Brothers
This is the double angel gravestone for Joseph and Hiram Fay, brothers ages 4 and 5. The boys died 24 Aug 1777 and 14 September 1777, about 3 weeks apart.
Buried in 1778, Reverend Jedidiah Dewey, must have been a fierce preacher! Or maybe the angel on his gravestone is scowling to remind us to repent before we follow Reverend Dewey to the grave. It’s enough to make his hair stand on end!
Alarming Gravestone Angels
Here’s another one with hair standing on end. It must be a fashion statement.
This is the gravestone angel for John Slater (1696 – 1778) at Olde Mansfield Center Cemetery, Mansfield, Connecticut. Notice his wings have fish-like scales or rows of feathers.
This gravestone angel monument reads, “Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Loray, consort of Mr. Epaphras Southworth, who died February 28th, 1795 in the 22nd year of her age, leaving to her afflicted friends some comfortable hope that she died in Christ and that she sleeps in Jesus.’ She is buried at Olde Mansfield Center Cemetery, Mansfield, Connecticut.
This angel has the same crazy hair-do, frowning mouth, and big eyes as the gravestone above her but the wings are smooth instead of feathered. There are scalloped clouds above the angel and ocean waves below, representing heaven and earth.
Who Carved the Gravestone Angels in Colonial America?
Who carved all these angel gravestones in Colonial America anyway? There were many gravestone angel artists in Colonial America but among the most prolific was Zerubbabel Collins.
This gravestone angel, carved by Zerubbabel Collins (1733–1797), was very typical of his style.
Collins was the son of Benjamin Collins (1691–1759), who was also a gravestone craftsman, as well as a cabinet maker. Zerubbabel’s older brother, Julius Collins (1728–1758,) also carved gravestones and later served in the military.
In the early 1750s, in Connecticut, Zerubbabel was tutored in carving by his father. By 1755, he had begun carving gravestones on his own. When his father died in 1759, Zerubbabel carved his father’s gravestone.
In 1778, Zerubbabel moved to Bennington, Vermont where he worked with the white marble from the Shaftsbury Quarry. He continued carving stones in Vermont, New York and as far away as Nova Scotia until his death in 1797. Although gravestone artists did not always sign their work, it is believed that Zerubbabel Collins carved about 300 gravestones during his career.
Cemeteries with Angel Gravestones Carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Old Norwichtown Burial Ground, Norwich, Connecticut: 1 marker carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Columbia, Connecticut: 60+ gravestones by Zerubbabel Collins
- Shaftsbury, Vermont: 30+ gravestones by Zerubbabel Collins
- Olde Mansfield Center Cemetery, Mansfield, Connecticut: 4+ gravestones by Zerubbabel Collins
- Nathan Hale Cemetery, Coventry, Connecticut: 3 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins.
- Trumbull Burial Ground, Lebanon, Connecticut: 3 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Old Hebron Cemetery, Hebron, Connecticut: 3 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Bozrah Rural Cemetery, Bozrah, Connecticut: 3 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Windham Center Cemetery, Windham, Connecticut: 2 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Parker Cemetery, Bozrah, Connecticut: 2 markers carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- East Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, Connecticut: 1 marker carved by Zerubbabel Collins
- Revolutionary War Cemetery, Salem, New York: a significant but unknown number of gravestones carved by Zerubbabel Collins
Learn More
Cemetery Angels: https://blog.billiongraves.com/cemetery-angels/
Winged Skull Gravestone Symbols: https://blog.billiongraves.com/winged-skull-gravestone-symbols/
Mayflower Family Gravestones: https://blog.billiongraves.com/mayflower-family-gravestones/
American Revolution- Gravestone Symbols: https://legacy-blog.billiongraves.com/american-revolution-gravestone-symbols/
Volunteer!
BillionGraves needs volunteers to take photos of gravestones! When you take photos in your own local cemeteries and I take them in mine, we will all help each other to find our ancestors’ final resting places.
Every time a photo is taken with the BillionGraves app, the GPS coordinates are automatically added.
Click HERE to get started. You are welcome to do this at your own convenience; no permission from us is needed. If you still have questions after you have clicked on the link to get started, email us at: Volunteer@BillionGraves.com.
Happy Cemetery Hopping!
Cathy Wallace
20 Gravestone Angels from Colonial America
