I finally found my GGrandfather's grave/headstone in Sussex Co., New Jersey and noted the deeply-set willows carved in the headstone. He was a poor man but it was a beautiful headstone. What I mainly wanted to ask was: Someone told me that a headstone with a willow engraved on it meant that the person had a Native American background. I would think that a "willow" engraving in the headstone would just symbolize "weeping willow," as in "grief." Does anyone have a comment? We are dark in our family... Kathleen [email protected]

You might try this link: http://www.pa-roots.com/~chester/tombstone_symbols__and_their_mea.htm "Earthly Sorrow" is the meaning of the willow tree, according to this page. I took a guided trolley tour of Savannah, Georgia a few years ago. The driver commented about the main graveyard in the city, that Union soldiers were bivouacked there sometime during the civil war. The soldiers altered the gravestones with naughty sayings and other marks just to kill time. So you cannot always believe what you see on a gravestone. "LPurch6636" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected] > I finally found my GGrandfather's grave/headstone in Sussex Co., New Jersey and > noted the deeply-set willows carved in the headstone. He was a poor man but it > was a beautiful headstone. What I mainly wanted to ask was: > Someone told me that a headstone with a willow engraved on it meant that the > person had a Native American background. > I would think that a "willow" engraving in the headstone would just symbolize > "weeping willow," as in "grief." Does anyone have a comment? We are dark in > our family... > > Kathleen > [email protected]