Names and dates are important facts for any researcher but on a headstone, the variety of carvings and symbols can build out a more complete story.
Double-headed eagles…
![32 degree mason_Lakeview 32 Degree Mason, Lakeview Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/32-degree-mason_lakeview.jpg?resize=213%2C223&ssl=1)
32 Degree Mason, Lakeview Cemetery
Knights in weathered armor…
![KofP_closeup_Newcastle Knights of Pythias, Newcastle Coal Miners' Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/kofp_closeup_newcastle.jpg?resize=213%2C269&ssl=1)
Knights of Pythias, Newcastle Coal Miners' Cemetery
…olive branches and oak leaves, scallops and axes. All of these are mysterious symbols to visitors unfamiliar with the metaphors.
During the late 1800s, the Pacific Northwest offered a unique opportunity to start fresh in one of the last frontiers. Civil War veterans, Scandinavian fishermen and loggers, Welsh miners, Japanese farmers and others, placed their bets and came west.
![Finnish_Newcastle Newcastle Coal Miners' Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/finnish_newcastle.jpg?resize=194%2C203&ssl=1)
Newcastle Coal Miners' Cemetery
Yet while this was their chance to start over for something better, it did not mean the traditions or familiar language of one’s homeland were forgotten.
![Kanji stone Auburn Pioneer Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/kanji-stone.jpg?resize=171%2C236&ssl=1)
Auburn Pioneer Cemetery
Fraternal organizations such as the Masons, Modern Woodmen of America…
![Woodmen of the World_Lakeview Lakeview Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/woodmen-of-the-world_lakeview.jpg?resize=183%2C228&ssl=1)
Lakeview Cemetery
…Odd Fellows, Daughters of Rebekah, Knights of Pythias or Salvation Army, also helped build a sense of a comfort and solidarity in isolated communities located one or two traveling days from Seattle.
![Cross_n_Crown_Woodinville York Rite Masons, Woodinville Mead Memorial](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cross_n_crown_woodinville.jpg?resize=184%2C204&ssl=1)
York Rite Masons, Woodinville Mead Memorial
Joining became such an integral factor that many people were members of more than one group. For example, the photo below left shows a Mason & Odd Fellow member…
![Masons_IOOF_Tolt Tolt Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/masons_ioof_tolt1.jpg?resize=244%2C203&ssl=1)
Tolt Cemetery
..while Edna Ewing belonged to both the Daughters of Rebekah and the Order of the Eastern Star.
![brotherhood_Crown Hill Crown Hill Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/brotherhood_crown-hill.jpg?resize=300%2C147&ssl=1)
Crown Hill Cemetery
Those who didn’t join local organizations could still utilize other carvings to tell their life story, such as wheat sheaves to recognize a long and fruitful life…
![wheat_Fall City Fall City Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/wheat_fall-city1.jpg?resize=265%2C181&ssl=1)
Fall City Cemetery
…a jizo statue to represent a child’s untimely death.
![Jizo stone closeup Auburn Pioneer Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/jizo-stone-closeup.jpg?resize=227%2C206&ssl=1)
Auburn Pioneer Cemetery
…or oak leaves and acorns symbolizing strength in a time of adversity. Note that the two acorns can also represent one of two meanings: the natural and supernatural world or male sexuality.
![Oak Leaves and acorn_Saar Pioneer Saar Pioneer Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oak-leaves-and-acorn_saar-pioneer1.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1)
Saar Pioneer Cemetery
And sometimes, the visitor finds a carving requires no interpretation at all.
![turtledoves_Saar Pioneer Saar Pioneer Cemetery](https://i0.wp.com/www.newcastlewahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/turtledoves_saar-pioneer2.jpg?resize=225%2C212&ssl=1)
Saar Pioneer Cemetery
Reference Source:
Keister. Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism & Iconography
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