Cemetery Symbolism

Cemetery Symbolism. . , Westel Weed was a ship's carpenter who lived in Cleveland with his wife Mary and commuted to Vermilion to the shipyards that once were an economic factor in that small town. They purchased a grave plot at Monroe Street Cemetery and invested in a most unique grave marker in the form of a tree trunk. The tree has had its branches cut off and its bark removed in places to create scrolls that bear the names of the Weed Family members buried there. The truncated tree trunk represents life that has ended or been cut down. Branches are cut off to identify lives cut short. How the branch has been cut or broken may also depict the nature of the death. If the branch is cut cleanly through with a flat surface at the end it represents a life fully lived and a normal death. If the branch is broken off or cut at multiple angles, it may represent a life cut short before death may have been expected. Often the number of severed branches corresponds to the number of people shown on the trunk or scrolls and probably buried at the site. The Weed Gravesite Tree is wrapped with ivy which represents fidelity, attachment, undying affection and eternal life. At the base of the tree are several ferns growing which represent humility and sincerity. Even though death has occurred life continues, either on earth or in heaven, as shown by the mushroom growing on the root of the tree.