By learning the picture codes you can figure out the meanings on these old monuments. Puritan stones were designed to honor the dead and teach the living moral lessons. The winged skull meant the certainty of death, a crowing cock reminded of the rooster that called the Apostle Peter to repentance, while the trumpet or the rising sun testified to eventual resurrection. For those with early New England ties, many of these ancient graveyards stand frozen in time and are magnificent outdoor libraries. The early slate slabs are covered with odd, almost medieval designs, curious skeletal carvings or winged faces reminding us that we live in a different age, disconnected from this past.
Gravestones offer a unique resource for historians, archaeologists and genealogists.
Although not considered primary evidence, gravestones are vital records. The hand- carved gravemarkers of the 17th and 18th centuries often provide information, nowhere else available, about birth, marriage, death, religious affiliation and family relationships. The choice of a burial site in the early days was often a matter of convenience and family preference rather than of religious affiliation. The earliest burial grounds in New England were established and maintained by civil, not church, authorities. Be aware that most New England towns had more than one burying ground, as they were called then.