Individuality Among the Dead

One of the earliest things I remember about my mom is her fascination with graveyards. I used to think it was creepy, and would never want to accompany her on those visits to local graveyards during vacations. But with this monument analysis project, I'm finding myself almost as fascinated by those tombstones as she is.

At the small church cemetery my group and I visited this week to record information, I was surprised by the amount of multiple interments (all cremations? or did they stand people up when burying them?) and the stories I could infer from the little information provided. I saw a family's grave occupied by brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. The couples temporarily separated by death (but seemingly prepared for it in the ominous birthdate-only engraving for the surviving partner) and those reunited after decades apart.

But my favourite was a Scottish couple, who easily had the coolest grave; none of us saw it until we were about to leave, but once found it stuck out from the rest of the toned-down grave markers (before this, the most unique grave was marked by a stone scroll). I think this is the kind of monument I would want over my grave: almost fitting in, but individualized enough that it can be picked out amongst all others.