Friday, July 21, 2023

In Memoriam: Where We Say Goodbye- Place 14: Amber Cemetery

 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



A Missionary: 
Daniel Meeker Chandler


Who had his memoirs published after his death


about his work among the Chippewa Nation.


And a young authoress:
Caroline Congdon


Who published a collections of poems at 14.

(pic from Baylor University digital collections)


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:



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 
days apart of diphtheria
 


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 Eddie"


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.

















































































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