Skip to main content

Man Cannot Aspire to More than Handy Warren

By
(Click to enlarge)

Handy Moore Warren
Feb 14, 1862
Apr 2, 1914
God's Noblest work Is Man.
As Such He Lived,
As Such He Died.
Man Cannot Aspire to More.

Beneath the inscription on Handy Warren's large tombstone in Evergreen Cemetery (Fitzgerald, GA) is a cross and sword in a crown. Most often I see the cross with crown, but rarely see the sword in there as well. The cross in crown first and foremost is a Christian symbol of the sovereignty of the Lord. The crown means victory, and the cross means Christianity.

This cross with crown symbol also often means the deceased was a member of the York Rite Masons. Adding the sword might denote more specifically the Knights Templar. There are usually two swords crossed behind a Maltese cross with the cross and crown in the center.

My hunch that Mr. Warren was a member of a Masonic fraternity was confirmed by his obituary:

Atlanta Constitution (Georgia)
Sunday, 5 April 1914

"MORTUARY

H. M. Warren, Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald, Ga, April 4 -- (Special) -- Handy Moore Warren died suddenly at 6 o'clock Thursday evening. He was taken ill on his farm a short distance from the city and was brought immediately to his home, but he never regained consciousness and died in a short time from apoplexy. Mr. Warren had lived in Georgia twenty years, fifteen of which having been spent in Fitzgerald. He was 51 years old and leaves a wife, three sons and one daughter. He was one of the first commissioners of Ben Hill county. The funeral was conducted by the Masons this afternoon, the business houses of the city being closed at that time by proclamation of the mayor."

According to census records, Mr. Warren was born in North Carolina. His sons were Earl, Needham, and William.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

By
Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H...
13 comments
Read more

Southern Cross of Honor

By
I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm...
25 comments
Read more

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

By
Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca...
1 comment
Read more