Stories Told in Stone: Cemetery Iconology A Manual for Genealogy Research by Gaylord Cooper

My sister and I got this book for our Mother for Mother’s Day. I am not a big non-fiction reader but since my sister and I have starting cemetery walking, I decided to give it a quick read before putting it in the gift bag. My sister and I are more in to the art and history of cemeteries and needless to say, per its title, this book is geared towards those researching their genealogy. However it still has some sections that I found very interesting. One was a listing of the major epidemics/pandemics by year and region. Another was gravestone symbols and their interpretations. I also found interesting the chapter on how to properly do stone rubbings as well as gravestone weathering and repair. BUT the author emphasized several times in these sections to check with the cemetery management before doing any restoration or taking a rubbing to ensure it is allowed.

For those into genealogy, the book also contains genealogy-related terms, relationship charts, family group sheets, and cemetery worksheets. My only complaint would be the size of the book at 11” x 8”. Since it is a field guide to use when visiting cemeteries, I think a smaller travel size would have been more convenient to carry around. Or perhaps I just need a bigger bag.