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Hillside Cemetery - Delta Township

10/19/2014

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Saturday, we went on a cemetery tour at Hillside Cemetery in Delta Township led by two retired archaeologists. They talked about the different types of headstones and the art on those headstones.

We started in the oldest part of the cemetery. The graves went back to the 1860's. Before the Victorian era, cemeteries were not an inviting place. The Victorians began the tradition of garden cemeteries that were landscaped and park-like. It was a place you wanted to go to visit the dearly departed. Also during this time, the headstones became more elaborate and adorned with symbolism of the time.
The first headstone I saw is below. The back has a weeping willow carved into it. The willow was a symbol of sadness or mourning. The front of the stone shows hands clasping. When I have seen these in the past, I thought it was people shaking hands. If you look closely, you can see from the clothing depicted one hand is female and one is male. It appears the male hand is clasping the female hand while the female hand appears limp. This indicates the live husband clasping his dead wife's hand for the final time as she bids farewell to earthly existence.
Photo of tombstone with willow tree
Weeping willow
Photo of tombstone with clasping hands
Clasped hands
The photo on the left below shows another example, but in this one, the female hand appears to be clasping the limp male hand. The photo on the right has another hand motif. In this case, the hand is pointing up, toward heaven. The scroll above it says "At Rest." 
Photo of tombstone with Clasped Hands It reads In Memory of our Parents
Clasped Hands - In Memory of our Parents
Picture
Hand pointing to heaven
I find it sad to see the graves of children in a cemetery. The idea of a parent losing a child is heartbreaking. During the late 19th century, it was not unusual for young children to die. The children's headstones often have a symbol of youth. The stones below are adorned with lambs as a symbol of innocence.
Photo of a Child's grave with a lamb lying down
Child's grave with a lamb lying down
Photo of a Child's grave with a lamb lying down
Another lamb
The three stones in the photo below on the left have flowers in various states of bloom. None are fully opened symbolizing the young lives that did not fully mature. 
The photo on the right shows two headstones. The left headstone is another child with a dove motif. The dove is a symbol of peace. The stone on the right is someone who served in the 7th Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. This headstone was provided by the U.S. government. He probably died after the war, since he was buried at home.
Picture of Photo of a Child's grave with a lamb lying down
Three children's graves with floral motifs
Picture of two tombstones one with a dove motif and one is a civil war veteran
Dove motif (left) Civil War Veteran (right)
The photos in the gallery below are taller monuments. We were not able to stick around for the full talk, so I can't tell you the meaning of these.
The rest of the photos are headstones I found interesting.
Watson with military symbol
Closer view of military symbol
"At rest" and "We miss thee"
Headstone with lichen
Abigail Adams aged 15
John Quincy Adams aged 21
Symbol of the Freemasons
Freemason symbol on back of stone
Larger Freemason symbol on front of stone
Thanks for stopping by.
Rob
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    Robin Roberts

    This is my photo blog. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

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