Amber Cemetery:
Set in Stone
While this cemetery is traversed by the main road in Amber,
originally it was only on the east side of the road.
The newer section is on the west side of the road closer to Otisco Lake.
The Town of Otisco was settled,
like many in this area,
due to its location by a lake,
abundant farmland,
and water power for mills.
But there is always the question:
Where do we put our loved ones to rest?
Amber chose a spot overlooking Otisco Lake
on its northern edge,
a peaceful spot to rest in peace.
This cemetery has an inventor:
Emory Mills
More about Emory Mills
https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/amber-cemetery/?fbclid=IwAR1D9YwkvVWXBNbI0Qu2izzEF3rzpKz9JZq5DA-Kwx4zbY_vBzR_TS4HGls
https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/amber-cemetery/?fbclid=IwAR1D9YwkvVWXBNbI0Qu2izzEF3rzpKz9JZq5DA-Kwx4zbY_vBzR_TS4HGls
A Missionary:
Daniel Meeker Chandler
Daniel Meeker Chandler
Who had his memoirs published after his death
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(pic from Baylor University digital collections)
More about that:
about his work among the Chippewa Nation.
And a young authoress:
Caroline Congdon
Who published a collections of poems at 14.
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Having been bedridden since an illness,
young Caroline did not let that stop her from
doing something she loved:
Writing
She had a desk that was rigged up so she could write
while lying down.
What makes this illustration so fascinating is
that it is a picture of her holding her book
in her book.
More about that:
Sadly she passed away at only 18
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55218465/caroline-m-congdon
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55218465/caroline-m-congdon
https://www.librarycompany.org/women/portraits/congdon.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Congdon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Congdon
This cemetery is a great glimpse into common
gravestone artwork.
And when you see it, you can know
just a little more about the life it represents.
Side-by-Side on markers often are for siblings who died
a short time from one another, often from illness.
These two brothers Warren and Ralph died
These two brothers Warren and Ralph died
days apart of diphtheria
"Our Little Eddie"
Fraternity symbols are also found:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55343368/ralph-kinney
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55343249/warren-kinney
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55343249/warren-kinney
The sudden death of one child was a tragedy, two devastating
but the family could remember them both on one stone.
Brothers who had played together could rest side by side
so they wouldn't be alone.
Lambs are often chosen for small children and infants
Our Little Angel
Lambs symbolize innocence.
Weeping Willows represent sorrow...
...and hope as they will flourish even after being cut down.
Books are usually representations of the Bible
A person's trusting God's Word in eternal life
That even the young have their safely on the
the Lamb's Book of Life mentioned
in the book Revelation...
...as do the old.
And trusting on the promises therein.
This stone also has a hand showing you where
the faithful placed their trust.
A popular concept among Protestants as they adhered to
"Sola Scriptura"
You'll see hands pointing toward the sky.
One finger pointing heavenward
"Gone Home"
If you see two fingers pointed upward,
that symbol was reserved for clergy.
If you see hands clasped
that is either a symbol of marriage
Together in life, Reunited in death
Note the cuff differences on these hands
Hands a tricky to carve and get to look right,
a bas-relief challenge.
These hands are farewell
to a loved one.
An anchor is a symbol of hope...
found in Hebrews: "an anchor for the soul"
Urns are a symbol of mortality
And a draped urn is a symbol of the veil that divides heaven..
...and earth.
These do not represent that these people were cremated,
as cremation was rarely practiced
It was a throwback to classical Greek/Roman eras
when urns were used
to bury the dead.
All things Greco-Roman were in vogue at this time
and funerary art was no different.
Palm branches signify
Triumph over Death
Passionflower represents Redemption
Roses adorn the graves of women and children
And the cutting of wheat:
A long life well lived.
And a headstone that looks like stacked rocks
A symbol of remembrance stones
hearkening back to the Old Testament.
These two stones once had portraits to remember these lives by
Someone got a picture of her husband's before it went missing
A cut tree, on in this case merely a small log, was a life cut short
Fraternity symbols are also found:
A member of The Freemasons
A member of the Odd Fellows
As are serviceman's markers...
And serviceman who almost made it home 😔
...Fred Cooper died one month and one day
before the Armistice.
And a carved dove
symbolizes hope and peace.
A great intro to the symbols on headstones:
Each headstone represents a life lived here on planet Earth
Someone smiled when they were born.
Someone loved them while they lived.
Someone cried when they died.
Knowing a little more about the symbols is one more way
the people of the past wanted the future to remember them
to get to know them better when they could no longer speak.
They wanted their loved ones to know that they were
"At Rest"
and not to worry...
They'd "Gone Fishing"
...that they would see them again soon 💓
...and left a reminder for the living
...that they would see them again soon 💓
For more info about symbols on headstones,
and a reference for this post,
check out
"Stories in Stone"
"Stories in Stone"
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