The ABCs of Gravestone Symbols

About the Book

Walk through a cemetery, especially one with an old section, and you will see all sorts of stories in the symbols carved into the gravestones. Symbols such as angels, hands, lambs, and trees may carry many meanings, or they may simply be an image that meant something to the family of their loved one. They might refer to a religion, an organization, or a culture. Their meanings may have changed throughout the years. No absolute meaning can be attributed to many symbols found in this book. However, it is interesting to discover similarities and differences from one region to another. This book is designed with the young reader in mind but is also intended to be shared with adults. The symbols within the book come from cemeteries across the United States, with a few from England and France, and were photographed by the author.

About the Author

Teresa Straley Lambert, a teacher of gifted students for nearly thirty years, discovered upon retiring that her hobbies of photography, travel, and genealogy have turned into a second career. A member of the Ohio Chapter of the Association of Gravestone Studies as well as the national organization, she is now focusing (excuse the pun) on cemeteries and their care, restoration, and preservation, and gravestone symbols and their meanings. Residing in Findlay, Ohio, with her husband of nearly forty years, Teresa holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and secondary social studies and a master’s degree in gifted education from Bowling Green State University and considers herself to be a lifelong learner. Her other hobbies include reading (her book club recently celebrated thirty years together), bicycling, and herb gardening. She is also a member of the Gaslight Gallery, an artists’ co-op in Findlay, where she shares her love of photography and travel.