“Gone but not lost”

The hand carving on the gravestone for Mary Ann Ferson (d. 1848) shows an unusually long, slender finger pointing toward Heaven.

The pointing hand, the message above it, and the short epitaph deliver a consistent message: Mary Ann has died, but her soul is not lost.

MARY ANN.
Daughter of
JOHN & M. B. Ferson
DIED
Oct. 3, 1848,
Æ 24 y’rs & 8 mo’s

Earth has her dust,
Her friends have her memory,
And Christ has her spirit.

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio