our Little Ralph
only an armor bearer
& his loving sister Nellie
1933 – T. J. Garvey
18 hours ago
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
taphophile tragics #7
Ididn't have time to shoot new images for this week's Taphophile Tragics post, so I picked one from my first visit to Mountain View Cemetery back in October.
our Little Ralph
only an armor bearer
& his loving sister NellieI have no idea how old the marker is, nor how old Ralph or Nellie were when they died. The dove on top with the olive branch is a symbol of peace. The weathering, the style of the marker, and position near other older markers suggest the grave is fairly old.
our Little Ralph
only an armor bearer
& his loving sister Nellie
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10 comments:
I wonder if they died at the same time since the marker looks to be all one. Yet again, I am paying attention to the carving and notice that it may have been of two different hands. I haven't noticed too many symbols on our headstones, but it seems the ones that do have them are very worn.
Beautiful! I wonder what the stopry behind their short lives and their traggic deaths are.
Herding Cats
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"only an armor bearer"? maybe I am missing something, but I don't understand that one. Still, it is sad to see a young brother and sister together in one gravesite.
Thanks for stopping by, all.
"only an armor bearer" is a Christian reference, and is the title of a hymn written some time in the 1800s. From what I can tell, it refers to being in a supporting role. But I don't know if that's what they meant, or something else.
The best reference I've found for grave marker symbolism is on a site called Grave Addiction
how sad!
usually leave a cemetery with many questions. this too makes me wonder!
Yes it makes one wonder what their story was.
Wow! I knew I could rely on you, Gene. That you for that symbolism link. I am going to commit it to memory! I keep seeing things and not knowing if I read too much into them. I am that way inclined.
'Only an armor bearer' I took as a reference to war, but did not know about the christian link. I have read the lyrics and they refer to a lowly ranked member of the Lord's army ... I think.
Ralph and Nellie sure are old-style names, so that dates it. Not sure about the style of marker. I have seen other markers for youngsters which have been this taciturn.
What is it with that mason, and his need for full-stops!!
You're a treasure, Gene. Taa ...
I've noticed many headstones without dates. I wonder why that is?
So touching, isn't it?
Lovely shot.
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