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****For All To ENJOY***

From: teespage46 | Created: Jul 18, 2006

[img:607290/P607290_44bd452da6683:left][b]teespage46 I want to thank "our Moderator -Dawnie", for asking me to join you in this great commission-and it really is; you know -getting all these photos and cemeteries that go with them, this is a real honor, because the Good Lord knows ,we all need to record this stuff; I know my family members didn't..and theirs before them.cause i haven't found any records of it- and i have been searching for about five years now. and nothing would have pleased me more than to run across a picture or a book or anything with a few records in it to get me started. I done it all by trial and lots of error..I just want to say that this has been the best place for me to start..so lets get on the ball and help Dawnie and ourselves with this thing and leave a legacy***Tressie[/b [b][img:607290/P607290_4574664c6970c:left]Cemeteries are an exceptional teaching tool. They are accessible and interdisciplinary. Almost every community has a nearby cemetery that is an educational resource as well as a historic site. Social studies, history, family studies, language arts and writing skills, math skills, art, science, and many other subjects may be explored in a cemetery. The cemetery is a tangible link with the past, and a place that is sacred and significant. Students should be taught that any cemetery or burying ground is an important part of individual and collective history and should be treated with reverence, respect, and care. When students understand the importance of cemeteries, they will more likely become adults who will participate in the responsible conservation of cemeteries in their communities. A community that does not care for, protect, and preserve the cities of the dead is diminished as a place for the living. Following your teacher's instructions, either read through all the questions before beginning your work or read all those questions for which you are responsible. Otherwise, you may waste time and not be able to complete your assignment. l. As you walk through the cemeteries, observe and write down in your notebook some early burial dates. What is the earliest you find? Do the same thing with ages of people. What was the age of the oldest person interred in each cemetery? Also keep a record of a few epitaphs (quotes and descriptions about the deceased). What is your favorite? 2. In each cemetery look for symbols on the tombstones. Some you may see are the Masonic, Eastern Star, tree trunk, weeping willow tree, urn, shells, clasped hands, flowers, and lambs. Discuss what they might mean with each other and your teacher. Are some symbols the same in all cemeteries? Which ones are different? Sketch the symbols if you do not know what they mean and ask your teacher or research the meaning. 3. Find the grave of a veteran for each of the wars listed below. Note the name and birth and death dates and any other information or symbols on the marker. Civil War- Spanish-American- WWI- WWII- Korea- Vietnam- 4. Observe at least three different materials from which tombstones are made. What are they? Do some show more weathering and wear than others of the same age? What effect does pollution and acid rain have on different types of stones? 5. Are there broken tombstones? How were they damaged? Weather, mowing, weed-eating, people? Are there signs of repair on some? If someone deliberately vandalizes a tombstone, what do you think a just punishment would be? 6. You may find photographs on some tombstones. This practice started about 100 years ago. Can you think why the custom began then? Observe the photograph closely and the information on the tombstone. Based on the information on the tombstone and the photograph, write a short epitaph for this person. 7. What surnames (last names) do you recognize that are the same as places, streets, and businesses in your town? 8. What are different countries or states of birth listed on tombstones? Where did most of the settlers in your area come from? 9. You will see different types of trees and shrubs in cemeteries. Choose one and sketch it and its leaves. When you return to class, identify it based on your sketch. Estimate its age. If you decide to proceed with rubbings in a nearby cemetery, this method has been used successfully by other teachers. Large flat crayons work well for rubbings.[img:607290/P607290_457466d05b4a3:left] Use sheets of newsprint - ask for an end roll from the newspaper office (it's usually free). Before going to the cemetery, cut the newsprint into poster-size sheets. Soft brushes or cloths may be needed to remove dirt and moss from tombstones. Never use harsh brushes or chemical cleaners, and if a stone is crumbling, do not attempt a rubbing. Give each student about six pieces of masking tape (place it on their wrist where it stays until they have chosen their subject) to adhere the newsprint to a stone with indented letters or decoration. Rub the crayon over the stones progressively harder to bring out the detail and letters. Some may wish to do a collage of decorations. Use the masking tape to secure the rolled up rubbings for students to carry home or back to class. Africian American Cemeteries[img:607290/P607290_4574669675032:left] After the Civil War, freed slaves began at once to establish their own communities and churches. During the years before the Civil War, slaves were often buried in a designated place beyond family plots so that tombstones marking their graves are rare. Often only field rocks or wooden crosses, which soon decayed, marked their graves. Many tombstones are made and inscribed by hand. This does not necessarily mean that people were too poor to afford more elaborate markers. Rather, the use of temporary markers of stones, wood, or shells ensures that the cemetery is always available, never full, and people can always be buried with their kin. Elaborate markers are rare in black cemeteries and may indicate customs based on religious beliefs or an acceptance of death that is realistic and cannot be relieved by spending sums of money on markers--particularly when the living may be in need. African-American cemeteries are not landscaped as Euro-American cemeteries are. They have depressions or mounds and no attempt is made to make grass grow over the graves nor to create special vegetation. Trees are native, not specially planted, and are neither encouraged nor discouraged. Rather than the park-like setting with formal landscaping often found in Euro-American cemeteries, the African-American cemetery does not attempt to romanticize death nor create an artificial landscape.[img:607290/P607290_457466abd10c6:left] Family plots do not traditionally exist in African-American cemeteries and placement of graves seems rather random. You will see many indentations and mounds that do not have markers. The markers may have disappeared over time or graves may never have been marked. While black cemeteries may appear to be neglected, this is often not the case at all but is a reflection of a philosophy of death and burial. Some of the more common and traditional symbols and their meanings are listed below. You and your students will likely find other types of symbols denoting occupations and affiliations (Masons and Eastern Star, for example) or the in-life interests of the deceased. Animals bees - resurrection; risen Christ birds - souls; flight of the soul back to God descending dove - Holy Ghost dove - peace; innocence; purity fish - Christ lamb - Christ the Redeemer; sacrifice; innocence Figures angel - messenger between God and man; guardian angel hands - devotion; prayer Objects anchor - hope; life eternal; may signify seafaring profession anvil - martyrdom arch - triumph over death; victory Bible - resurrection through the scripture; wisdom branch - severed mortality Celtic Cross - circle on it symbolizes eternity cross - salvation drapery over anything - sorrow; mourning crossed keys - St. Peter portraits- photographs of the deceased rock - steadfastness of Christ; stability shell - pilgrimage; baptism of Christ; resurrection skull - death; sin; with crossbones - mortality setting sun - death rising sun - resurrection; life Trees and Plants bouquets - condolences; grief buds - renewal of life cedar - strong faith flower - brevity of earthly existence; sorrow; broken, premature death ivy - abiding memory; friendship laurel - victory; triumph; glory lilies - resurrection; purity oak - supernatural power and strength; eternity pineapple - hospitality roses - condolence; sorrow; the brevity of earthly existence sheaves of wheat - time; the divine harvest tree - faith; life; the Tree of Life tree trunk - premature death willow - weeping; grief; earthly sorrow wreath - victory in death; eternity ********************************************************************** For further information on researching and using cemeteries as teaching resources consult: A Graveyard Preservation Primer, Lynette Strangstad. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1988. Association for Gravestone Studies, 278 Main St., Suite 207, Greenfield, MA, 01301. Cemeteries & Gravemarkers: Voices of American Culture, Richard E. Meyer, ed. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Press, 1989. Grave Matters: The Preservation of African-American Cemeteries, Chicora Foundation, Inc., Box 8664, Columbia, SC 29202-8664. In Memoriam- The Archaeology of Graveyards, English Heritage, 1990. The Cemetery Box. Don Mitchell and Gary Grimm. Good Apple, Inc., Box 299, Carthage, IL 62321. Using Memorials, English Heritage, 1995. Resources on Cemetery History and Preservation (Larry Kestenbaum) http://www.potifos.com/cemeteries.html Normal Hill Cemetery/5th Street Cemetary Graves Project Website devoted to GIS-based research that combines technology with historical research.[/b]

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