Hunting through the family closet.

Well they are called all kinds of things but some have a specific purpose.
I came across a book called Stories in Stone by Douglas Keister. He talks about the different styles and types of carvings. So as I started to photograph our local cemetery I keep all of what I learned in my mind being more observant about the uses and meanings on the stones.
My mentioned this to a friend and she posed a question to me.
What about the big ones that cover where the grave is?
Well as i observed some had markings and some did not. I wondered if they did not have anything had it just worn away.
As I found out some of the stone slabs as I called them where called Ledger Stones these rectangular stones often contained information about the deceased. Some Ledge stones also had foot and headstones with them.
Most of them if you look farther back into history had depictions of the person as well as maybe a family coat of arms.
Here it seems it was carried over as a tradition. After much discussion though these may also serve another purpose in area’s of flooding by holding the coffin down in the ground.
It is a shame that the writing on these stones has a tendency to go away. For after records are gone it’s very hard to see who they are, but you do know they are there.
The flat stones come in very many styles, some are slightly raised as above. Some are flush with the ground. Look out for them and see what you find.