"Americans" only need apply. Nativists organization symbols in the cemetery.

This is a Masonic symbol right?    Wrong.

 

 This is a Masonic symbol. 

The ritual and symbology of the above symbol featured was said to be heavily influenced by that of the Freemasons. This is where the misidentification comes in.   Of the twenty five original founders, four were Freemasons and four other delegates were eventually raised to the Craft. The emblem of the Order incorporated the square and compasses with an arm and hammer in the middle. 

But  what was this group and what was their purpose?                                                           

What you see featured at the top, is the symbol for the Order of the United American Mechanics. This was an American Nativist organization - "American only". It originally was called the Union of Workers. Members were required to undertake efforts to publicize and campaign against the hiring of cheap foreign labor and to patronize only "American" businesses.

The Order grew out of the resentment many native born American workers in Philadelphia felt toward foreigners during the depression of the mid 1840s. As many American workers were laid off poor German immigrants were allegedly taking their jobs at lower wages.

Unlike other Nativist societies that sprang up in the 1840s and 1850, the OAUM was able to survive the Civil War. By 1896 there were State Councils in twenty one states and the order had 60,000 members.

In 1853 it created the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, as an youth auxiliary. This group would eventually become more popular than the OUAM itself and became an independent adult organization in 1885.

A stone featuring both OUAM & Masonic symbols.

 Overtime, the OUAM abandoned its Nativist politics and became a standard insurance society, even dropping the word "Order" from its name to become just the "United American Mechanics". It was eventually absorbed by its former youth affiliate, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics .

In 1903 the rules used by one Doylestown, Pennsylvania  group stated that membership was open to "white male citizens, born in the United States". The objects of the order were employment assistance, supporting member's businesses, assisting ill members, and providing funeral and survivor benefits. Meeting were each Wednesday evening. Dues were 15 cents a week. There were disability benefits of $5 for first 13 weeks, $4 next 13 weeks, and $3 onwards. Funeral benefits were $100, or for a spouse $50. Donations to distressed families were limited to a maximum of $2.

Victorian mourning, was it learned from the Elephants?

 Elephant's are extremely intelligent animals who form strong family bonds. Capable of intense emotion and acts consistent with "burying" their dead and even shedding tears. The shocking truth behind pachyderm mourning.

Elephants use their feet to try and resuscitate the dead.

 Elephant researcher Martin Meredith had this story to tell:

  ”The entire family of a dead matriarch, including her young calf, were all gently touching her body with their trunks, trying to lift her. The elephant herd were all rumbling loudly. The calf was observed to be weeping and made sounds that sounded like a scream, but then the entire herd fell incredibly silent. They then began to throw leaves and dirt over the body and broke off tree branches to cover her. They spent the next two days quietly standing over her body. They sometimes had to leave to get water or food, but they would always return.”

A female elephant guards a corpse from hyenas.

An article in the  Oct 8, 2006 New York Times Magazine discusses elephant mourning in greater detail,

“When an elephant dies, its family members engage in intense mourning and burial rituals, conducting week long vigils over the body, carefully covering it with earth and brush, revisiting the bones for years afterward, caressing the bones with their trunks, often taking turns rubbing their trunks along the teeth of a skull’s lower jaw, the way living elephants do in greeting.”

Elephants carry bones up to a mile or more

They can mourn themselves to death as well. This was evidenced in a Zoo in India. A 72 year old elephant named Damini could often be seen caressing the stomach of another female elephant who was pregnant. 

After the younger elephant died in child birth, Damini completely stopped eating and drinking resulting in her own death. Read more of her story Here.


One of the most incredible stories on elephant mourning concerns the death of a conservationist and writer, Lawrence Anthony.

 Anthony dedicated his life to conservation. He bought the Thula Thula game reserve, spread over 5,000-acre in KwaZulu-Natal. A pivotal point in his career came when he was called upon by a conservation group to rescue a group of nine elephants who had escaped their enclosure and were wreaking havoc across KwaZulu-Natal – and were about to be shot. 

Lawrence rushed to the scene and tried to communicate with the matriarch of the herd through the tone of his voice and body language. He eventually rescued them and brought them back to his reserve. He became known for his unique ability to calm traumatized elephants, After that, he became known as “the elephant whisperer.”

 


In March of 2012 Lawrence Anthony passed away...
What happened next defied all explanation.

For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of late author Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist who saved their lives.

Marching in to pay their respects to their "human" friend.

The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests,were now on a personal mission.

For two days the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve in the South African KwaZulu – to say good-bye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died March 7?

There are only two elephant herds at Thula Thula. According to his son Dylan, and both arrived at the Anthony family compound shortly after Anthony’s death.

“They had not visited the house for a year and a half and it must have taken them about 12 hours to make the journey,” 

 Dylan is quoted in various local news accounts.

“The first herd arrived on Sunday and the second herd, a day later. They all hung around for about two days before making their way back into the bush.”

 Are elephants capable of mourning humans? It's hard not to think these elephants didn't come to pay their respects to the man who had dedicated his life to saving theirs.

Grotesque 19'th Century Headless Photography

I usually stick to all topics concerning the dead... but since I am also a photographer this one caught my attention. I suppose if you are headless you must be a least some degree of dead... right?

The 19'th century was an incredible time of cultural advancement and scientific achievement. The field of photography was in it's infancy and evolving techniques were rapidly making it less of a luxury for the masses. Many were now having their portrait made.  Photographers began experimenting with the process as well as competing for business. Many resorted to photographic trickery to entice customers in.

Want a photo of your deceased wife?

 

Nothing was too far fetched for the new modern photographer.

But in an age before Photoshop, how were such outrageous results delivered to a hungry clientele?

The answer could be found in the use of multiple negative plates. 

Crafty photogs had figured out through trial and error some impressive special effects, if you will. 

Mary is consoled by the spirit of President Lincoln

One photographer, William H. Mumler had grown very wealthy taking  mystical photographs. Going so far as convincing a grieving Mary Todd Lincoln that he had captured the recently assassinated president in a portrait that she had commissioned.  What comfort this photo must have given her. Not to mention securing Mumler as a super star in the business.

Many rallied against men such as Mumler taking advantage of the most vulnerable of victims.  It was discovered that some of the "spirits" that appeared in his work looked a little too much like people from Boston - who were very much alive and well.

 Mumler was taken to court for fraud. Noted showman and vocal adversary P.T. Barnum eagerly testified against him. Though found not guilty, his career was over, and he died in poverty.

 While some took advantage of the public, many just amused and entertained with their work. The following is a collection of "Headless" photos for your amusement. Some are grotesque while others are quite laughable.

Enjoy the gallery!

 

Bastardized Symbols - their true meanings revealed.

 

One of the many aspects of being a taphophile is the study of icons and their secondary meanings when used on gravestones.  

We refer to this as Iconography.  While conducting cemetery tours, I explain to people what any given image on a stone says about the stone's owner. Many flora and fauna images used on stones have meanings speaking to faith, age or family relationships. It's a bit like reading hieroglyphics if you can speak the language.

 

 That being said, what would seeing a swastika on a gravestone say to you? What would it's secondary meaning be if not one of hate? And why would anyone use it? Read on for a quick history and the simple answer.

One thing we do know is that over time, the meaning of a symbol can change as changes in the culture also occur. Such is the case with the swastika.

We see this symbol as having a dark history. It's use is currently outlawed in Germany. All of this  can be attributed to one man's warped ambition, Adolf Hitler. In fact he hijacked not only this symbol but a second one as well during the days of the Third Reich.

A swastika plot marker from Texas.

The ironic thing is that this symbol can be traced back all the way to Roman times, and was also used by the Viking.

We can trace the use of the swastika cross well into antiquity.  It has been found on objects such as pottery and ancient coins from Gaza.  

 Some theorize that the symbol originated with the Pagans but was carried over into Christianity.

An early 1900's postcard sent for well wishes.

One thing we do know for sure, is that the word we use for it  "swastika", comes from the Sanskrit word svastika. It is derived from the  

su- meaning "good, well"  and

asti- "to be".... or svasti- thus meaning "well being". 

The suffix -ka intensifies the the verbal meaning, so literal translation could then become "that which is associated with well being" or maybe even "lucky charm". 

There is the answer, the secondary meaning.

Other names for the same symbol are many depending on the culture. It has been called the crooked cross, the angled cross, and the sun cross. In heraldry it is known as the cross cramponned due to each leg's resemblance to an iron-angle or a crampon. A Greek name for the symbol is the gammadion. Each leg of the cross resembles the gamma symbol. The use of this name can be found from Scotland to Iceland. The gammadion can be found on Celtic crosses and jewelry such as necklaces.

The swastika is also known as a gammadion cross.

Another found name for the cross is the Fylfot Cross [fil-fot]. In Britain the name fylfot came from the Anglo-Saxon's - fower fot, meaning "many footed". 

 A manuscript from the 1500's explains the use of the fylfot as a symbol to fill in the empty spaces at the bottom of stained glass windows in medieval churches.

As recently as June 12'th 1996, The British House of Commons Hastard Debate, discussed the badge of the No. 273 British Flight Squadron which uses the symbol. During the debate the ancient symbol was solely established as being called the fylfot while the Nazi symbol was to be referred to as the swastika. 

This firmly established "fylfot" as being the name of the "good" symbol. Even though the Nazi's had nothing to do with the creation of the swastika, their use of it has tainted it for all modern time.

A Christian grave featuring a Star of David.

Inevitably when one thinks of the Nazi's and their use of the swastika another symbol of that time period comes to mind.

 It is the Star of David. Also a very ancient symbol, this star has been used by Jews and Christians... yes Christians for hundreds of years.

It is formed of two triangles. One triangle being man and the other being God, the symbol represents the relationship between the two.  It is also said that the six points of the Star symbol represent all the directions within the Universe, North, South, East, West, up and down.

It was during WWII when Hilter again took control of yet another iconic faith symbol. He chose the Star of David gave it the color yellow and began to use it to "mark" all Jews.

"JEW" embroidered on a patch worn in WWII

Before this action, the Star of David was a minor Jewish symbol of faith, having equal significance with other similar faith symbols. By the end of the War, the world had witnessed the murder of six million people, many of them wearing this same small fabric star. Sadly the Star of David had forever cemented it's place in history as the absolute symbol of the Jewish people.

Fair or not, the meanings of both of these symbols have been forever altered by just one man. Certain images flash through the mind.

To place a Fylfot Cross in your window or mail postcards to your friends wishing them the power of the symbol would cause shock and inevitable scorn. Beautiful ancient symbols altered by Geo-politics. 

That being said, there was a time when these greetings would have been appreciated. 

This powerful final image, shows both symbols married together in stone forever.  Not in opposition, but complimenting each other.

In this age, who could ever have imagined such a sight?