The Cemetery Code

Have you ever wandered through a cemetery and said to yourself "Damn. A hundred years ago everyone sure died young" , and yes if you read the markers a lot of children lived "4 years, 3 months and 11 days" , or they lived through childhood only to die in childbirth. Men lived long enough to be killed in war or by diptheira/yellow fever/cholera/TB/tetanus or influenza. It was a tough time.

I took a walking tour of the very lovely Oakwood Cemetery. It was established in 1867 and went on to serve the cities early notable movers and shakers after they stopped moving and shaking. The other cemetery, the city cemetery, was founded in 1799 and served mostly the less notable and their slaves - it is also noticeably less garden-style. Today Oakwood Cemetery (garden-style) is the permanent home for some 20,000. Jesse Helms will be buried there, John Edwards' son is.

On the tour we learned that the modern cemetery got it's start in 1804 in France. Prior to this cemeteries were located outside of town and were seen as unhealthy, scary places to go, as is illustrated by Raleigh's city cemetary. The Cemetery as a destination for the living came to this country in 1834 in Boston and to Raleigh in 1867.

Your average Victorian grave marker tells a story, in code, For example:

She is not flipping off her survivor's. She is pointing up to let us know that her soul has gone on to heaven. If this was a cleric's grave they would have used two fingers. The book is the bible.



Unlike today, the Victorians didn't do much personalization of the stones. They mention only the deceased faith in God and very little else. Christian imagery is everywhere in their stones. The cross is an image you see everywhere. The cross with five points to symbolize Christs wounds, there are also crosses with three points to symbolize the trinity.

Not all symbolism was strictly religious in tone, see the broken chain, symbolizing the death as breaking the family chain.



The childs hand pulling back the curtain is to illustrate the veil between the worlds, also draping was a sign of mourning. Note the roses. A bud was used to signify a baby, a slightly opened bud a small child and a rose in full bloom for an adult.



Ivy was used to symbolize fidelity or devotion



While two hands, one with a feminine sleeve and the other masculine was used to illustrate marriage. Often, two hands both masculine were used but to symbolize greeting God.


The stone with a drape over it was used to symbolize the families grief at home. Victorians often covered mirrors, photographs and portraits after a death the signify they were in mourning. Also, the coffins were kept at home and draped with blankets. The wealthy used expensive, heavily embellished blankets for this. The blanket pictured is one such drape. I think that the heavy blankets of flowers we cover the coffins with at burial is a version of this practice.



Not all symbols were figurative. Some were more literal, this child's grave features not only an empty cradle but also another Victorian funerary image, the empty chair.



I know this sounds like the most depressing thing ever and why on earth would I do it? Because it was fun. I like history, I'm a busy body and I like finding out other peoples stories. It was very informative and entertaining and I hope you this little tutorial. Tomorrow? Modern death.