Oct 12

Tombstone Tuesday-Bird Symbol

Birds, usually doves, are common tombstone symbols. They symbolize peace, resurrection, and innocence.

Birds are usually depicted as flying or sitting but we saw this unusual bird scene on a tombstone at Greenville Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio. The perching bird is looking at his friend or mate who is lying belly-up on the ground.

Greenville Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio. (2006 photo by Karen)

A bird lying dead symbolizes a life that was cut short prematurely and this is the case of the carving on the tombstone of Heinrich August Lindemann, who died in 1872 at the age of 29 years.

Greenville Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio. (2006 photo by Karen)

Real birds are often opportunists and a robin built this nest along the wings of this angel at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Karen

Greetings from the Chattanooga, Ohio, area. Yes, Ohio has its very own Chattanooga, aka Chatt, a small village in west-central Ohio, near the Indiana border. I have been doing family history research for over 20 years and am a Board-Certified genealogist, certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. My main genealogical interests are family research, cemetery research, and historical and genealogical research of the Chatt area, with a focus on two area Lutheran Churches, both named Zion Lutheran, one in Chatt and the other in Schumm, Ohio. Family names I am researching include Miller, Schumm, Brewster, Rueck, Reid, Headington, Huey, Bryan, Whiteman, Schinnerer, Scaer, Breuninger, Bennett, and a few others. I belong to several lineage societies, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, U.S. Daughters of 1812, First Families of Ohio, and First Families of Mercer and Van Wert Counties. I am also a retired dental hygienist and our church organist. I hope you enjoy Karen's Chatt.

2 comments

    • Virginia Britten on October 12, 2021 at 8:41 am
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    • Reply

    Thank you for your wonderful blog! Today you brought us something so meaningful and unusual, the grieving bird! I loved it.

    1. Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the post and photos.

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