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Symbolism abounds in an old burial ground like Edgar Cemetery...
Cemetery art and meaning represent various aspects of life, death and afterlife, according to gravestone scholars. These symbols can be categorized into numerous reference topics – body parts, animals, plants, and objects, among others.
Some of the most common meanings are listed below. However, scholars also advise that a particular item may have been used by someone merely as a personal preference, unassociated with traditional meaning.
 Eye (sometimes in triangle, surrounded by circle) – Eye of God, all-knowing, ever-present holiness
Hands – praying, asking God for Eternal Life; clasped - bond of marriage or farewell
Heart – love, mortality, courage, intelligence
Birds in flight – winged soul
Butterfly – the soul (quite rare)
Dog – loyalty
Dove – Holy Spirit; resurrection, innocence, peace
Fish – faith
Lamb – purity and innocence (child)
Lion – guardian of tomb; courage, bravery of the departed
Symbolic connections of flowers with emotion are cross-cultural and their origins are unknown. Floral symbolism peaked in the 1800s and became so popular that almost every flower known had a symbolic meaning attached to it. Some of the most familiar are below:
 Calla Lily –marriage, majestic beauty, resurrection
Daisy – innocence of a child, youth, purity, the infant Jesus
Dogwood – Christianity, divine sacrifice, triumph of eternal life, resurrection
Grapes – Christ
Ivy – memory, immortality, friendship, fidelity, faithfulness
Laurel – victory, distinction, heroism, eternity
Morning Glory – youth, farewell, beginning or brevity of life, mortality, resurrection
Oak tree, leaves, acorns – strength, power, honor, longevity, steadfastness
Olive branch – peace; soul departed in peace of God
Rose – beauty, hope, unfailing love; bud or full bloom indicates age at time of death
Tree – tree of life; tree trunk – brevity of life; severed tree – mortality
Wheat – divine harvest
 Alpha and Omega – Christ, the beginning and the end
American Flag – military veteran; courage, pride
Anchor – disguised cross; hope; steadfastness in Christ
Angel – spirituality; agent of God; guardian of the tomb; flying angel - rebirth
Bible – religious person
Book – book of life, Bible
Celtic or Irish Cross – eternity (cross with a circle at its center)
Circle – eternity, never-ending existence
Chain, broken – cessation of life
Column, broken – life cut short
Cross – love, faith, goodness
Cross and anchor – Christ anchors the soul
Crown – the soul’s achievement and the glory of life after death
Drape – sorrow, mourning
Flame, light, lamp – immortality of the spirit, resurrection
Furniture, empty – unfulfilled lives of children
Urn – immortality
Horn – the Resurrection
Horseshoe – protection from evil; passion involved horses
Hourglass – time ran out
Inverted torch – life extinguished; life in the next realm
Scroll – life, time, honor
Scythe – death, final harvest
Star – life of Christ, five wounds
Triangle – the Trinity
Trumpets – victory, resurrection
Wheel – cycle of life, enlightenment, divine power
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