The somber man

Walking from the entrance of Stark Cemetery, a rural cemetery in northern Delaware County, Ohio, I approached the tall sandstone marker for Sarah Stockwell (d. 1846) from behind. I was taking my time in the cemetery, walking among the old gravestones, stopping to read an epitaph or to admire a carving.

Then I turned and saw the business side of the Stockwell marker. Impressive!

The carving shows a somber man leaning on a pedestal that supports a draped urn. On either side are trumpet-bearing angels floating above the clouds. Everyone carries a book, quite likely meant to represent the Bible.

The inscription is presented on a scroll that hangs from the center post of several over which drapery is swaged.

Click to enlarge. Daddy Longlegs too!

SARAH
wife of
W.S. STOCKWELL
died Jan’16
1846:
aged 25 years
5 mo’ & 1 da’.
The gravestone has an epitaph as well:

Go home dear friends dry up your tears,
I must lay here til Christ appears,
Then burst the bands with sweet surprise,
And in my saviour’s image rise.

One final treat: The stone is signed by the carver, D. Stockwell. A relative of Sarah’s husband?

Stark Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio