Southern Graves

"A sheaf of wheat on a tombstone is often used to denote someone who has lived a long and fruitful life of more than seventy years...It denotes immortality and resurrection because of its use as a harvested grain...A sheaf of wheat is a popular Masonic emblem as well." - Douglas Keister in Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography . Photos © 2011 S. Lincecum. Taken at Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, Houston County, Georgia. Zinc marker memorializes H. B. Felder (1828-1878), son of Samuel and Ann Felder.

The FELDER family of Perry, Georgia seems to have been pretty prominent in their time. There are two family plots side-by-side in Evergreen Cemetery that contain the remains of some of the family members. The patriarch of the family is Samuel Felder of South Carolina. He was born 24 November 1796 and died 3 October 1867. Samuel was married to Ann, born 25 August 1803 and died 8 September 1890. Also buried nearby is Samuel's son Henry B. (1828 - 1878). The next plot full of ledger markers with exception of one is dedicated to Edward Lewis Felder (1826 - 1872) and his family. Edward was a son of Samuel and Ann Felder. His first wife was Ada, born 27 June 1831 and died 25 May 1858. Edward later married Charlotte "Lottie" Swift, born 11 April 1841 and died 5 January 1888. Four of Edward's children were laid to rest in this plot: Lucy (1871-1961), Thomas S. (1867-1941), Kate (1863-1940), and Edward Jr. (1856-1893). When poking around about the Felders, I fou...