Epitaphs - Tombstone Inscriptions

Epitaph is described in Webster's New World dictionary as meaning "Upon a Tomb, An Inscription on a Tomb, In Memory of a Dead Person". Epitaphs have been used for centuries in one form or another.

We use epitaphs to honor our departed loved ones; they give us final closure when we place a tombstone or grave marker on the grave. What we say with epitaphs is reflected by the departed love one's personality traits or what they accomplished in their life. They could also be used to tell the story of how or what caused the death of the person lying in the grave.

It is very hard to lose someone we love and we want to show our respect and love for them. We can do this by placing a tombstone or marker at the grave site and using an epitaph that will tell all those who read it something about the departed loved one.

Epitaphs comes in all forms, some are from biblical scriptures. Some will describe the decedent's accomplishments during their lifetime; some are humorous or tell how death came to be. Some are written in poetry, and some are personal, written by the deceased before they passed on.

Whatever form of epitaphs is chosen, they are personal and there are no strict guidelines as to what to say or not to say. Epitaphs gives us the avenue to forever tell all who read of the personalities and achievements of our departed love one. In the following paragraphs, I have listed some epitaphs, some are comic, some are from famous people who have passed on.

These ones were taken from the book "Comic Epitaphs, From the Very Best Old Graveyards" Gathered and Published by the Peter Pauper Press.

"This Spot's The Sweetest

I've Seen In My Life

For it raises My Flowers

And Covers My Wife"

On John Rose and His Family: "This Grave's A Bed of Roses"

"Blown Upward

Out of Sight;

He Sought the Leak

By Candlelight"

"Seven Wives I've Buried

With As Many

A Fervent Prayer:

If We All Should Meet"

In Heaven

Won't There Be

Trouble There?"

"My Wife is Dead

And Here She Lies:

Nobody Laughs

And Nobody Cries:

Where She is Gone To

And How She Fares

Nobody Knows

And Nobody Cares"

"I Told You I Was Sick"

These epitaphs of famous people was take from ww.corsinet.com/braincandy/graves.html

Ethan Allen: The mortal remains of Ethan Allen,

fighter,writer,statesman, and

philosopher,

lie in this cemetery beneath the marble

statue

His spirit is in Vermont now

Henry Ward Beecher: He thinketh no evil

Alphonse Capone: My Jesus Mercy

Bette Davis: She did it the hard way

Jefferson Davis: At Rest

An American Soldier

And Defender of the Constitution

Karen Carpenter: A star on earth - a star in heaven

While I do my cemetery transcribing, I always read the writings on the tombstones and find many of them very interesting. They tell you something about the person, who they were, what were they like. I often wonder who was this person, what brought about their death? By reading the epitaphs I often times can have these questions answered.

In writing an epitaph you have to decide what is it that you want to say? What do you want to tell others about the departed love one? In what form will the epitaph be written, will it be biblical scripture, be general in nature, be funny? Deciding on an epitaph can be an emotionally draining and trying task to accomplish. Since whatever words you decide upon will be a permanent reflection upon the person who has died, you must take time to reflect and say what you want for all others to know about the person who lies beneath the tombstone.