Stone trees and fields of stone   Edward Frank
  Apr 16, 2006 18:15 PDT 
ENTS,

I visited an old cemetery in my hometown of Reynoldsville. PA today. In the cemetery are several unusual tombstones. Two were shaped like tree stumps. One had the name Coax in bas relief in a font like it was made of twigs. There was a G.A.R. bronze star (Grand Army of the Republic) beside the marker and the graves of several family members. I am trying to find out more about the owner of the bronze G.A.R. star.

The other unusual gravestone I want to mention was also a stump, with a carved scroll hanging from a carved chain from one of the branches. The name on this one was Gibson. There were a number of family members buried near the marker. One was a David(?) Gibson born 1845 and died in 1887. Another was Evaline Gibson, born 1820, died 1902.

These were not the only markers with tree or leaf themes. Another read: Mary, dau. of Geo. and Jeannie Roller, Sept. 15, 1899 to Dec 9, 1900. The figure is that of a lamb laying in front of a palm tree stump. Lambs usually mark the graves of children and symbolize innocence.

Another read: Juliana Smith Reynolds, born March 30 1828, died July 7, 1888. This is a basic polished granite stone with engraved symbols of ferns and ivy.

And finally one more on the theme worth mentioning: Harriger This is a more modern polished stone of red granite. Depicted is an image of a horse barn complete with horses. Trees adorn the surrounding property. This is likely to have been etched from an artists rendering of a real property.

I had been told about these markers by a friend who had photos of them on her blog. She also had visited other cemeteries with tree symbolism elsewhere. One place she visited was the Leaf mausoleum, a crypt for a family with the surname of Leaf.

I am curious about the symbology of the tree stumps, trees, and how prevalent they are around the country. One organization was called the Woodsman of the World and was an early fraternal benefit society. They often had tree themed markers. But generally gravestones bearing this symbology are found in the midwest and westward. Neither of these markers had the Woodsman of the World name, WOW, or symbol present on their surface.

I have listed some related links below that I found after some internet searching. They refer to the symbolism, the Woodsman of the World organization, and some photos from other cemeteries around the country.

Edward Frank

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Cemetery Art and Symbolism

http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cemetery/reid.html

Lamb - Usually marks the grave of a child and means Innocence.

Tree or Trees
     A Tree stands for life.
     A Tree Sprouting stands for life everlasting.
     Tree Trunk stands for the brevity of life.
     Stones shaped liked Tree Stumps usually signify that the deceased was a member of
             The Woodmen of the World

Weeping Willow Tree - Perpetual Mourning; Grief.

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http://are.as.wvu.edu/grave.htm
Religion as art: Gravestone Iconography in West Virginia

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Woodsman of the World
http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacowet2/fratsymbols.shtml

Woodmen was one of the first fraternal benefit societies in the United States. Founded in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 6, 1890, by Joseph Cullen Root, the Society had a humble beginning with very little capital and no office space.

It was also reported that Root's idea for "Woodmen" came from a speech he heard about woodsmen clearing away forests to provide shelter for their families. Others speculated that Root visualized himself as the root that would grow into a shelter, protecting members from financial disaster.

The Latin motto, "Dum Tacet Clamat" translates as "Though Silent, He Speaks." I believe the motto might be based in Biblical principles: "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:3-4

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WOW: On the search for graves
http://www.interment.net/column/feature/jimd/index.htm

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorbeef/50667417/in/set-1099552/

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http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~zimm/headstones_of.htm

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http://home.joimail.com/~gravestones/id4.html

Image of another tree gravestone

Beulah Land Cemetery, Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania
photos by Edward Frank

coax_a.jpg (121842 bytes)

This tombstone simply says Coax.  The bronze star beside the marker reads G.A.R. for the Grand Army of the Republic.  There are three smaller round markers that simply say Coax adjacent to this one and another small tombstone that reads Minnie C. Coax, May 22, 1861 to May 21, 1880.

gobson_a.jpg (96036 bytes)

This stone tree monument holds a scroll and bears the name Gibson.  There are several adjacent graves of members of the Gibson family.  One reads David(?) B. Gibson, Jan 10, 1845 to Aug 20, 1887.

roller_a.jpg (96356 bytes)

Mary, dau. of Geo. and Jeannie Roller, Sept. 15, 1899 to Dec 9, 1900.  The figure is that of a lamb that appears to be lying in front of a palm tree stump.  Lambs usually mark the graves of children and symbolize innocence.

 

reynolds_a.jpg (113292 bytes)

Juliana Smith Reynolds, born March 30 1828, died July 7, 1888.  This is a basic polished granite stone with etched symbols of ferns and ivy.

harriger_a.jpg (96592 bytes)

Harriger plot.  This is a more modern polished stone of red granite.  Depicted is an image of a horse barn complete with horses and trees adorn the surrounding property.  This is likely to have been etched from an artists rendering of a real property.

Re: Stone trees and fields of stone   Don Bertolette
  Apr 16, 2006 19:34 PDT 
Ed-

While living in Hatfield Massachusetts, I visited an old cemetary there and recall a tree there (gravestone) that resembles the dimensions of your image at the bottom of your post...I remember commenting to Bob about this, although I can't recall if Bob had already seen it.

-Don

Re: Stone trees and fields of stone   Fores-@aol.com
  Apr 17, 2006 05:50 PDT 
Ed:

There are lots of small cemeteries in WV where you can find the WOW tree
stump grave markers. It seems that there were several areas in the state where
the Woodsmen of the World were really active in the early 1900's and most of
the graves seem to be from that time period. I really like the ones that
have ivy and vines on the stumps and squirrels climbing up the sides.   Most of
the markers are four to six feet tall.

Russ
RE:  Stone trees and fields of stone   djluth-@pennswoods.net
  Apr 17, 2006 16:45 PDT 
Ed,

Check out this link (tree stump gravestone pics, left side):

http://www.eriecemeteryassoc.com/photos_ec.html


Dale

Re: Stone trees and fields of stone   Edward Frank
  Apr 17, 2006 19:17 PDT 
Russ,

The symbols are shown at this link:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacowet2/fratsymbols.shtml

Generally the gravemarker will say WOW, or have the text "Woodmen of the World" somewhere on the gravestone. The symbol as shown on the above link includes crossed axes and a sledgehammer. Another common phrase on these gravestones is the Latin phrase "Dum Tacet Clamat" The stumps in the Beulah Land cemetary in Reynoldsville bore none of these symbols. Geneological research is still ongoing to determine if there is a link between these markers and the Woodmen of the World organization.

Ed
RE: Stone trees and fields of stone   Pamela Briggs
  Apr 17, 2006 21:58 PDT 

Dear Ed --

I had not heard of Woodmen of the World before. Interesting information
about the gravestones. Small World Department: The national
headquarters of both Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors are in Rock
Island IL, just across the river from me.

Pamela
Re: Stone trees and fields of stone   Fores-@aol.com
  Apr 18, 2006 05:02 PDT 
Ed:

In central WV there were a lot of chapters of WOW and it seems like there
were more in rural agricultural areas where coal mining was not common. I have
seen some incredibly ornate sculptured grave markers in cemeteries where
most other graves were identified by unmarked field stones.

As an aside...There are still extremely remote graveyards in use in this
area and nearly all local funeral homes have at least one hearse that is a full
size black Suburban with a lift kit and heavy duty mud tires...not because it
is a redneck joke but that is just how rough the terrain can be. We have a
cemetery on our land that is used by a local family and they have used a
bulldozer more than once to get caskets to the graves. It is amazing sometimes
to see a procession of pickups loaded with flowers and people heading into the
middle of what is now the woods but was open farmland a couple of
generations back.

Russ
Re: Stone trees and fields of stone   wad-@comcast.net
  Apr 18, 2006 06:35 PDT 
Ed

I have seen many cut tree stump markers in Montgomery county Pa. I also enjoy family trees, so I spend alot of time looking at stones. One good thing is that there are usually big trees in old cemeteries. I can combine two hobbies at once! Can't say I ever heard of WOW though.

Scott
 

     Woodsman of the World Gallery - Texas  Merriann Lansford

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