Listers, I know a person can be buried however the surviving family decides, but if there is a big family stone in the middle of a plot and there is a row of small stones on each side with individual names, do most people elect to have their head toward the big stone, or their feet? The little stones at their head or their feet? The small stones would be either a head stone or a foot stone depending on the position of the burial casket, I guess. What is the general thought about this? Chas No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.12/1597 - Release Date: 8/7/2008 5:54 AM

In the Catholic cemetery family plot my great grandfather bought many years ago, the heads are toward the big monument with the family name. The individual stones are actually footstones. I don't know if it is the same elsewhere. --Pam Berger > Listers, > I know a person can be buried however the surviving family decides, but > if there is a big family stone in the middle of a plot and there is a row > of small stones on each side with individual names, do most people elect > to have their head toward the big stone, or their feet? The little stones > at their head or their feet? > The small stones would be either a head stone or a foot stone depending > on the position of the burial casket, I guess. > What is the general thought about this? > Chas

It is not always that even in Catholic cemeteries. The footstones are often up to 1930s to mark where the ends are. David Samuelsen Pamela Berger wrote: > In the Catholic cemetery family plot my great grandfather bought many years > ago, the heads are toward the big monument with the family name. The > individual stones are actually footstones. I don't know if it is the same > elsewhere. --Pam Berger

Hi Chas Well... I have no clue, but it seemed like an "interesting" topic. The first thought/question that comes to mind is; how was the person feeling the day he or she died. I know that some mornings I feel as though I have stones for feet and can hardly lift them enough to get to the coffee pot. I guess they would probably bury me with my feet pointing away from the family stone, because I wouldn't want to weigh down any of the other family members' ascent into the next life. Then, there have been a lot of times when I have been accused of having rocks in my head, so it's a toss-up... On the one hand, they might think I need a little support and bury me with my head pointing toward the main stone, thinking that maybe, if I hang around long enough, I might learn something, but on the other hand, they may just look at me as "dead weight" and choose to bury me with the farm animals. Either way, I suppose it's a matter of keeping one's head up and their feet planted firmly on the ground... Your topic reminds me of a joke... There was this guy who had a terrible problem with drinking alcohol, and his friends became very concerned because every time he would get to drinking, he would pass out cold. A few of his friends devised a plan, where, the next time he drank himself into unconsciousness, they would bury him, but have a big tube inserted into his casket, for air. Well... it happened; he got drunk and passed out. His friends buried him in his casket, covered him up, and waited. A little while later, he came to, and strarted talking: "Where am I?" The friends, up above, could hear him through the tube and answered: "You're dead and buried..." to which he replied: "Well, how long have I been here?" The friends shot back: "About two weeks..." The boozer then asked: "Well who are you?" to which the buddies answered: "I'm the guy in the next plot over. I've been here about 10 years." "Well then..." he replied; "where can I get a drink?" And that's about it, for today... Actually, it is a really interesting topic, but I guess my opinion would be that the person's head would point toward the family stone, or monument. I can't say that the person would face the family stone because that would mean he or she was buried standing up, which would cause an uproar in the gravedigger associations across the land... John