For the wife's: MOON A symbol of death, rebirth, or victory. A moon with seven stars, the letter "R", and a dove symbolizes that the deceased was a member of the Daughters of Rebekah, an auxillary of the I.O.O.F. fraternal organization.

The husband must have been a member of the I.O.O.F. fraternal organization.

More help can be found at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gravestone symbols

This post was edited by lydia1959 on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 13:16

Just read that I.O.O.F. stands for Independent Order of Odd Fellows lol

Well, isn't Lydia the most helpful person around here today? ;)

I love that lichen growing on the headstones. Makes getting a rubbing very difficult, but it sure is pretty. (I guess most places frown on rubbings now, anyway. I wanted to get one from the grave of the man that was killed by lightning on our property, but it's so covered with lichen, it would be impossible and I don't want to deface it by cleaning it, even if I could get permission.)

Yeah, if Lydia would just stop beating me in the trivia game, she'd be perfect! :-)

You know I'm kidding, Lydia . . . thanks for the info! Odd Fellows--you wonder how the organization came up with that name. Harry and Anna must have been heavily into it.

If you go to Google with questions like that, you will find your answer.

Mary, Google didn't help me cause I thought the bird was a chicken. lol

Alisande.. I was dead last in yesterday's trivia game so I don't think you need to worry too much. :)

Lydia, I'm still trying to overcome my shock at seeing my name on top yesterday. I don't know if it lasted all day, but even so....

Mary, I'm sure you're right, but it's more fun to interact with my fellow KTers. Of course, it wouldn't be fair for me to expect someone else to do my research for me. But often people have an answer w/o looking it up.

Lydia, I was referring to where the name Odd Fellows came from. I use Google all the time.

The symbol on the man's stone has the letters, IOOF. This would indicate that he was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. The posters above have sorted it out.

.Here's a link about the symbol you found.

Here is a link that might be useful: Daughters of Rebekah symbols

As stated, the Independent Order of Oddfellows" was/is a fraternal, non-sectarian organization (not to be confused in any way with "oddballs").

I think that the "F" is for "fidelity", the "L" for "loyalty" and the "t" for "trust".

ole joyful

There is an Oddfellows Hall and an Oddfellows Cemetery right around the corner from me. Sometimes I walk through there. I will have to notice if that symbol is on the headstones. Interesting.

Nice to know! (I was thinking "Foresters", not "Fellows" and guessing something like Easter Star for the wife.)

chisue, wasn't that a different organization?
Woodsmen of the World & Order of the Eastern Star?

When I was a little girl, some older relative took my mother to see some graves at an old cemetary, & the Woodsmen had tall headstones that looked like tree trunks.

Sylvia -- Oops, I see I left the "n" off my "Eastern Star" guess; know it was the ladies auxiliary of the Masons. I may have mixed up the Woodsmen and Foresters. Oh, there are so many things I 'know' that I'vejust made up! LOL

My grandmother was a member of the "Eastern Star" and my grandfather was a Mason... when he died the Masons did something at his funeral. I had totally forgot about that until rereading this thread. I was 9 years old when he died but still can recall the Masons walking up the aisle. I don't remember exactly what they did, but I remember being in awe of them.