MS Pottery Headstones

[lupaglupa]

During a recent trip to Mississippi, I visited a cemetery where a number of the older grave markers were made of pottery. There markers are quite unusual, seen only in a few locations in the United States. Though some of the pottery markers had broken, many were in excellent shape and quite legible, despite their age.

Matilda J. (Rye) Weaver was the wife of Hugh Weaver, who fought in Company B of the 3rd Battalion, Mississippi State Infantry.

 

[lupaglupa]

The type of salt-glazed pottery grave markers seen here are most common in Northwestern Alabama and Northeastern Mississippi. These pictures were taken at the New Hope Cemetery in Hatley, Monroe County, Mississippi. Several potters in the area made the markers. In other parts of the United States pottery grave stones were made in a rounded shaped, similar to a butter churn.

 

[lupaglupa]

The stone for the infant daughter of W. R. and M. A. Weaver, seen above in post #2, is a Loyd tomb-stone. William Payne Loyd and William Dickinson Loyd of Tremont, Itawamba County, Mississippi, patented this style of marker in 1879. The figure submitted to the patent office shows the marker set in either a low or high base.

 

[lupaglupa]

Even when broken, the names on the pottery markers remains vivid – a contrast to the often illegible stone grave stones found on neighboring graves.

 

[John Winn]

Those are remarkable. I've never heard of such markers. Other than being brittle, they have held up well.

 

[lupaglupa]

They are evidently quite rare. I found references to them in the Piedmont area of North Carolina and in Eastern Tennessee.

 

[Northstep]

Amazing! I've never even heard about this type marker. I looked at your first photo, saw the patent mark and thought "I've got to find the original patent!" But, being the excellent researcher that you are, you already did that. Excellent post!
I'll admit I had to do some reading about salt-glazed pottery. Very interesting history and process. The waterproof characteristics of the pottery have sure stood the test of time in a harsh environment.
Amazingly, it broke into such large pieces with such clean edges! I mean, it looks like you used a razor blade right above "son of W. R. & M. A. Weaver." Nothing has crumbled. Yes, the letters are still so vivid and looks like the color is cerulean blue. It's so interesting that you can see the original lines incised to set the lettering.
I'm surprised this process did not become more popular. But, since this was a true "art" I suppose there were not many skilled in this type of pottery. And, the market may have been too crowded by then with the large granite and marble companies and Sears and Roebuck selling their mail-order headstones.
I'm just sitting here staring at the photos and shaking my head. Wow.

 

[R. Porter]

I find these grave markers to be amazing, they are still so vivid. I shouldn't be surprised after finding pieces of 17th century stoneware with clear colors and sharp incised decoration on colonial Virginia sites. I wonder why others didn't make similar grave markers and in earlier periods.

 

[lupaglupa]

As someone who has struggled to read many stone headstones, I wish more people had used this pottery type! I don't know why they didn't become more popular.

 

[Ole Miss]

@lupaglupa where did you see this markers? Also the next time you come to Mississippi please let me know as I would love to have the chance to meet with you
Regards
David

 

[John Winn]

As someone who has struggled to read many stone headstones, I wish more people had used this pottery type! I don't know why they didn't become more popular.

I'm going to guess. First, they wouldn't have been as sturdy as marble (or other stones) and they couldn't be carved so they were rather plain in an age when plain wasn't popular. Second, there was a close association with the ancient world in the nineteenth century - particularly the Greeks - and marble seemed to reflect that which was part of its popularity. Finally, if you had any money you wanted to show off or at least show that you could honor the deceased with a "decent" burial; cheaper markers would have been an admission of a failure in that department.

So I'm also going to guess the attraction was that they were cheap and held up better than wood so offered folk of lesser means a good option.

 

[lupaglupa]

@lupaglupa where did you see this markers? Also the next time you come to Mississippi please let me know as I would love to have the chance to meet with you
Regards
David

These are in Hadley in Monroe County. I'd love to get together! No Mississippi plans right now though.

 

[Ole Miss]

Glad you had a wonderful trip. You were about 70 minuets from me!
Regards
David

 

[DixieRifles]

These are in Hadley in Monroe County.

Hadley or Hartley???

 

[lupaglupa]

Hadley or Hartley???

Hatley. I missed typed (but it's right in the second post). It's just east of Amory. The cemetery is at New Hope Church on the Hatley-Detroit Road. There are actually two cemeteries there. The one next to the church has the newer graves. The ones with the pottery markers are in the older section which is across the street from the church, a bit east. Watch out for the gang of roving dogs if you go!

 

[lupaglupa]

My husband reminded me that my family also had a steel headstone at this same cemetery. I believe that's a ceramic plate on the steel with the text.

 

[bankerpapaw]

View attachment 476105

During a recent trip to Mississippi, I visited a cemetery where a number of the older grave markers were made of pottery. There markers are quite unusual, seen only in a few locations in the United States. Though some of the pottery markers had broken, many were in excellent shape and quite legible, despite their age.

Matilda J. (Rye) Weaver was the wife of Hugh Weaver, who fought in Company B of the 3rd Battalion, Mississippi State Infantry.

Much more plain and easier to read than those old concrete monuments found in today's cemeteries. Didn't know there was such a thing as pottery head stones.

 

[Northstep]

I'm going to guess. First, they wouldn't have been as sturdy as marble (or other stones) and they couldn't be carved so they were rather plain in an age when plain wasn't popular. Second, there was a close association with the ancient world in the nineteenth century - particularly the Greeks - and marble seemed to reflect that which was part of its popularity. Finally, if you had any money you wanted to show off or at least show that you could honor the deceased with a "decent" burial; cheaper markers would have been an admission of a failure in that department.

So I'm also going to guess the attraction was that they were cheap and held up better than wood so offered folk of lesser means a good option.

I could not agree more. These markers are not what I call "prominence on display" but then that type marker was limited to a small group in the rural south who were able to follow the current practices of funerary display at that time.
We'll never know the opinions of the people who chose this type marker. The lowest form of marker was a simple rock. I found it amusing when Mytum stated that families knew where the family member was buried and had no thought for anyone in the future not having the same knowledge. I think it is likely that the families who chose pottery markers were above the social status of those who used only a rock or wood and even local sandstone carved markers. I agree it was "good option" but may have been higher on the social hierarchy of practices than we image. It's pure speculation on my part, however. I admit I tend to overthink these kind of things.

Mytum, Harold (2004), Mortuary Monuments and Burial Grounds of the Historic Period. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.

 

[R. Porter]

I'm going to guess. First, they wouldn't have been as sturdy as marble (or other stones) and they couldn't be carved so they were rather plain in an age when plain wasn't popular. Second, there was a close association with the ancient world in the nineteenth century - particularly the Greeks - and marble seemed to reflect that which was part of its popularity. Finally, if you had any money you wanted to show off or at least show that you could honor the deceased with a "decent" burial; cheaper markers would have been an admission of a failure in that department.

So I'm also going to guess the attraction was that they were cheap and held up better than wood so offered folk of lesser means a good option.

I would be willing to bet your guess is on the mark. I might also suggest that this was something new and very different and might have benefited from a good marketing campaign. Locating these grave markers and comparing them to people who appear on the U.S. census and other documents might shed some light on who bought them and why.

 

[John Winn]

I would be willing to bet your guess is on the mark. I might also suggest that this was something new and very different and might have benefited from a good marketing campaign. Locating these grave markers and comparing them to people who appear on the U.S. census and other documents might shed some light on who bought them and why.

Hadn't thought about the census but that's a very good idea (just to satisfy curiosity); very well might be able to guess how well off those families were.