Have you ever visited a cemetery and just walked around reading the headstones? If you know what to look for, they can tell you a story.
First—and most obvious—what is written on the headstone? Is there more than just the person’s name, birth, and death dates?
Next, look at the tombstone itself. Its style, size, shape, and the material used may reveal the person’s wealth and status in the community.
Finally, make note of any engraved symbols or carved figures on it. Did you know they have meanings, too? For example, a lamb represents innocence and is often found on a child’s grave. A tree is a symbol of human life. A tree stump signals a person’s life was cut short.
Think of the cemetery as a library, and the people buried there as individual books. With a list of symbols, figures, and their meanings in hand, step inside and “read” all about them.
An example of one of the “books” in the Nashville City Cemetery:
Harlan Perry Howard, known as “Mr. Songwriter” and the “dean of Nashville songwriters,” wrote more than 4,000 songs over a career that spanned six decades. Over 100 of his songs reached the top 10 on the country charts. But none of that is mentioned on his headstone. What is there, though, tells you what type of man he was.
A simple headstone.
The hand holding a pen tells you he was a “writer.” Now read what’s written at the bottom of the stone and the true meaning becomes clear.
“HE WROTE THE SONGS I HELD THE PEN”