This photo shows one of the most common epitaph for a child. It says budded on earth to bloom in heaven.

Epitaphs in Central Aroostook County Cemeteries

This StoryMap examines the purpose of epitaphs and explores some of the interesting ones in Central Aroostook County cemeteries.

Jane Custer, B.A.

This photograph shows the epitaph discussed in this section.
This photograph shows the epitaph on a stone as discussed in this section.
This is a photo of Ralph Bull's gravestone with his epitaph.

Bibliography

 

Allison, Scott T., and George R. Goethals. “‘Epitaphs and the Social Construction of Memory’ .” Memorialization in America, 2003.

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Your Guide to Cemetery Research. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 2002.

“Cemeteries and Gravemarkers : Voices of American Culture / Edited by Richard E. Meyer ; with a Foreword by James Deetz.” Penn State University Libraries Catalog. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/27973076.

Coffin, Margaret. Death in Early America: The History and Folklore of Customs and Superstitions of Early Medicine, Funerals, Burials, and Mourning. Nashville: Nelson, 1976.

Desmond, Jane C. “‘Epitaphs and the Poetics of Remembrance’   .” Material Culture, 1998.

Hanson, John G.S. Reading the Gravestones of Old New England. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2021.

Isenberg, Nancy, and Andrew Burstein. Mortal Remains: Death in Early America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.

Mann, Thomas C., and Janet Greene. Over Their Dead Bodies:  Yankee Epitaphs and History. New York, NY: Barnes and Noble, 1993.

Meyer, Richard E. “Cemeteries and Gravemarkers: Voices of American Culture.” Amazon. Utah State University Press, n.d.. https://www.amazon.com/Cemeteries-Gravemarkers-Voices-American-Culture/dp/0874211603.

Murphy, Elizabeth A.J. “‘The Epitaph as a Cultural Artifact.’” American Cemetery, 2010.

Stockton, Lynn Peithman. “‘Epitaphs and the Art of Remembrance.’” Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 2002.

Wallis, Charles L. Stories on Stones:  A Book of American Epitaphs. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1954.