Reading Flora on stones

One of my favorite parts of exploring a new cemetery is deciphering the icons on the stones. The stone above is a great example of the use of floral icons. 

In the 1800's and into the early 1900's flora was used to convey personal messages, clues if you will, about the person buried there. This husband and wife stone is a fantastic example of that.

I'll explain.

First take George's side. His flora is the oak leaf. This is a pretty common symbol.

The oak is a prized hard wood which grows slowly but is extremely sturdy. If you look very carefully you will also see acorns. This is a huge clue about George and his life.

As I mentioned the oak grows slowly and takes a very long time before it produces any acorns. Therefore what this image tells us is that George lived a good long life and died at an older age. Couple that with the strength and virtue from the oak meaning. A picture of George begins to develop.

How interesting to learn that a person lived to an old age just by the symbol on a stone. Now, lets look at the other side of the stone.

Bessie's side also says a lot about who she was and how people saw her. One of the first things I noticed was the cross. This of course speaks to her faith. Wrapped around the cross is ivy. This is an important floral icon and deepens the meaning of the cross.

Ivy is one of the few plants that can remain green even when it's subjected to harsh conditions. You can freeze ivy and it will withstand.

This makes it a symbol of immortality as well as faith and fidelity (since it's color remains true). Faith to the church, and no doubt, to her husband as well.

In addition to never changing it's color, ivy also clings to things. It climbs and almost seems to support things as it grows. Therefore it is also seen as a symbol of friendship, attachment, affection and loyalty.

Wow! See how that one plant has conveyed such a beautiful message to us about Bessie?

There is one more plant mixed into her arrangement. It is the fern. Often ferns were pictured growing deep withing shaded forests. It is thought that to seek out a fern was a trek that only the most sincere would take. Even more meaning has now been added .What a fantastic compliment to the symbolism of the ivy. 

I hope you enjoyed my translations. We will not meet George and Bessie, but somehow, I think I know a lot more about who they were.