Old Notre Dame Cemetery, Southbridge, MA

A Pair of Clasping or Shaking Hands Is a Common Motif on 19th and Early 20th Century Gravestones, But It Can Have Different Meanings. If the Cuffs Match and the Hands Are of the Same Gender (Such as This One Found in the Old Notre Dame Cemetery in Southbridge, MA), It Symbolizes Either a Welcoming to Heaven or a Farewell to Earthly Life. But If the Cuffs Are Different, and the Hands Are of a Man and a Woman, It Signifies a Married Couple… (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on July 2, 2015)