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Ever since I've been sending students off to
cemeteries looking for a headstone or marker with some
indication of occupation on it, I inevitably hear about
all those "Woodsmen of the World" out there who
must have been loggers or lumberjacks. While I've been
unable to find any Web sources for the Woodsmen, I know
they were a fraternal order, like the Moose, Elk, Masons,
and Oddfellows. None of my students have, so far, ever
heard of this organization. But most of my students
aren't as old as I am, nor did most of them have a
step-father who was born in San Francisco early this
century who knew a whole lot about California history.
At the very top of this marker are three linked
circles and the intials "IOOF," which stands
for the International Order of Odd Fellows. While some of
us had heard of this group, nobody knew what the
inscription at the very bottom of the marker means, or
even what language it is:
Er serchog gof.
However, thanks to the Web and E-mail, we now do know! Thanks to Ric Williams, we know that the language is Welsh, and the inscription means "In Loving Memory." For more information about Welsh inscriptions on headstones, see the Gwynedd Family History Society.
Most people recognized this as a symbol for the Elks,
but one student was convinced that this was the area for
those who had really enjoyed deer hunting. Not only that,
he was sure that the monument was also a statement
against gun control.
While most Christians would recognize the symbolism of
a lamb, particularly if on the marker of a child, my
Islamic and Buddhist students are often at a loss trying
to figure out why there were sheep on so many headstones.