Gravestone Symbols from A to Z
Gravestone symbols from A to Z reveal interesting insights into our ancestors’ lives and beliefs. When you were learning to read as a child, you probably learned the alphabet from A to Z. Likewise, learning gravestone symbols from A to Z will help you learn…
Infant Gravestone Symbols
Infant gravestone symbols can reveal the beliefs and emotions of our ancestors who lost little ones. An understanding of these symbols can give us a peek into their hearts. Infant mortality rates were much higher a few generations ago. As we build our family trees,…
Hand Symbolism on Gravestones
Hand symbolism on gravestones can reveal how our ancestors lived and what they believed. One of the most common gravestone symbols on tombstones is the hand. There are clasped hands, pointing fingers, hands holding objects, and more. Finger Pointing Up Fingers pointing upward indicate that…
Using Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree
Using gravestone clues to grow your family tree may be one of genealogy’s best kept secrets! Do you have some brick walls in your family tree? A trip to the cemetery may be just the thing to help you break through! What a Clue can…
Winged Skull Gravestone Symbols
Winged skull gravestone symbols were common in 18th-century cemeteries. While they may look strange to us today – even morbid or creepy – they held important meaning for our ancestors. Death was a frequent visitor to households in the 1700s. In many areas, it was…
Occupational Gravestones are Family History Clues
Occupational gravestones can help you discover the story of your ancestor’s life. It’s the dash between the dates! As family historians, most of us look for gravestones to find birth and death dates to add to our family trees. What a pleasant surprise when we…