FAQ
Helpful answers to the most popular questions.
We would like to offer you as much information as we can. Please check to see if your topic is listed here. If you have a different questions about the your purchase, please feel free to contact our local office for more information. We may also alter this page if we think your question will help future visitors.
What should I ask the cemetery before ordering a headstone?
There are three important questions you should ask the cemetery before ordering.
1. What size can my grave marker be?
2. What color can I select for the granite?
3. Should the grave marker be bronze on granite or only granite?
Can you tell me the difference between a pre-need and an at-need headstone?
Pre-need headstones are when the person is still alive. The main reason being to secure today’s price and to get everything in order and decide themselves on their last resting place.
At-need headstones are once someone has died and the headstone is purchased.
Can the cemetery refuse the headstone I purchased?
No, as long as the headstone meets their requirements they are legally bound to accept the headstone. It is your right to purchase from the place of your choice. If you are experiencing a problem with the cemetery you can always file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Do I have to purchase the granite base with the bronze headstone?
No, you have the option purchasing bronze only and we will deduct the amount of the granite base for you.
Do the bronze headstones have a granite base?
All bronze headstones come standard with a granite base. We have many choices of granite colors and have many premium colors available for your selection.
Does the cemetery have to install the headstone?
Yes, the cemetery has to install the headstone if they install their own headstones. There will be an installation fee for the installation which should be the same as if purchased from the cemetery (by law). In case you are having problem’s with the cemetery the Federal Trade Commission loves to hear about cemetery problems and you can file a complaint about the cemetery by clicking on this link Federal Trade Commission.
What is the bronze content of the bronze headstones?
The bronze content is government regulated and is:
- Not less than 87% Copper
- Not less than 5% Tin
- Not more than 5% Zinc
- Not more than 2% Lead
- All other elements not to exceed 1 1/2%
E-mail: office@serenitymonument.com
Phone: (205) 584-1881
Cemetery Glossary
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE CEMETERIES
AND GRAVE MARKERS
altar tomb
– A solid, rectangular, raised tomb or graverna
rker resembling ceremonial altars of classical
antiquity and Judeo-Christian ritual.
bevel marker
-A rectangular gravemarker, set low to the ground, having straight sides and uppermost,
inscribed surface raked at a low angle.
bolster
– a form of gravestone where a cylinder (usually at least 18 inches in diameter and 36 or more inches
long) rests on its side on a footing. Bolsters were most common in the early twentieth century
burial
– grave; the body within the grave; the act of burying a body.
burial, primary
– a burial where the body is placed in its grave shortly after death, with no prior or temporary
burial. Primary burial is the most common form of burial in most modem cemetery traditions
burial, secondary
– a burial where the body has spent considerable time (often several years) in a temporary
resting place before removal to its final resting place. Secondary burials have been fairly common in various
death traditions around the worfd and persist mostly in traditions that have strong non-Western folk elements
burial, urn
– the burial of an urn with cremated remains in it.
burial axis
– the line that follows along the length of the body in a burial; the “length” of the grave
burial ground
– Also “burying ground;” same as “graveyard”
burial site
– A place for disposal of burial remains, including various forms of encasement and platform burials
that are not excavated in the ground or enclosed by mounded earth.
cairn
– a pile of rocks. Cairns can be erected over graves as markers, as bases to support crosses or other
upright markers, or as protective devices from scavenging animals. comp. mound, rock.
Cemetery
– any place where more than one body has been buried, especially (but not necessarily) with grave
markers. Different governmental agencies have sligh
tly different criteria for what legally constitutes a
cemetery.
Cenotaph
– a grave where the body is not present; a memorial erected as over a grave, but at a place where the
body has not been interred. A cenotaph may look exactly like any other grave in terms of marker and
inscription. Cenotaphs often commemorate the deaths of those lost at sea, in war, or by some other means where
recovery or transportation of a body would be difficult.
Centerpiece
– a sculpture or other monument, usually in the middle of a cemetery, commemorating no one in
particular, but for the benefit of all buried there. Centerpieces usually are religious and are quite prominent in
many Catholic traditions, as with the ornate crucifixi
on scenes of French-Canadian cemeteries and the large
crosses of Mexican cemeteries.
Coffin
– a box for holding a body at burial, made of wood, metal or concrete
Columbarium
– a building for the housing of cremated remains. comp. mausoleum.
Coped stone
– any stone with a coping, especially one with a peaked (roof-shaped) top. Coped stones were
common in the British cemetery tradition from the eighteenth through the early twentieth centuries.
Coping
– a narrow ornamental thickening and overhang of the margin of the top of a gravestone. The term
comes from a sort of roof element, and a coping resembles a small, overhanging roof.
Cremation
– the burning of human remains before their disposal. In the United States, some cremated remains
are placed in cemeteries or columbaria, while others are strewn over the ocean or retained in survivors’ homes.
Crematorium
– A furnace for incinera
tion of the dead; also crematory.
crown
– the central hump in a crowned gravestone.
crown, lateral
– on a crowned gravestone, one of the (usually lower) humps on the sides.
Crowned
– referring to a gravestone shape where the top rises in several (usually three) humps, usually with
the central one higher than the others. see crown; crown, lateral.
Crypt
– An enclosure for a casket in a mausoleum or underground chamber, as beneath a church.
dressed
– referring to stone whose surface has been completely smoothed or otherwise finished.
emerging stone
– a type of gravestone where one portion of the stone has been fully carved, while another
portion remains undressed or only partially dressed, giving th
e impression of a stone that has been incompletely
carved. The emerging stone was most common in the late nineteenth and earfv twentieth centuries and
symbolized a life partially completed but cut short. tmerging stones are nearly always of granite.
epitaph
– a brief saying or literary note, inscribed in a grave marker. The name, places and dates of birth and
death, and other such biographical information that may be
part of the inscription are not considered part of the
epitaph.
Exedra
– A permanent open air masonry bench with high back, usually semicircular in plan, patterned after the
porches or alcoves of classical antiquity where philosophical discussions were held; in cemeteries, used as an
element of landscape design and as a type of tomb monument.
Exhumation
– the removal of a body from a grave.
family stone
– a gravestone that marks the entire family’s plot, not a particular individual’s grave. In the United
States, such stones are most common in the European traditions. Sometimes a family stone also will have the
names and dates of the individuals of the family carved on it, but there usually will be separate stones for the
individuals.
Finial
– an ornament atop a post or similar element in furniture or other craft. Finials can occur on the posts of
grave fences or (less commonly) on grave markers them
selves. Finials always have radial symmetry, as if
formed on a lathe.
footboard
– a flat, slab-like wooden grave marker placed at th
e foot end of a grave. Footboards are used only
in conjunction with headboards and usually are considerably smaller and less ornate, often bearing only initials
as inscriptions.
footing
– a slab, usually of concrete, that is horizontal and flush with the surface of the ground, on which a
grave marker is placed. The footing itself usually is unorna
mented and considered structural, not a part of the
marker itself.
footstone
– a flat, slab-like stone grave marker placed at the
foot end of a grave. Footstones, are used only in
conjunction with headstones and usually are considerably smaller and less ornate, often bearing only initials as
inscriptions
grave
– the individual feature where a body (rarely more than one body) is buried in a single pit or its
equivalent, including any marker or monument associated with it.
grave, mass
– a grave where many people are buried together. In most historic societies, mass graves have
been expedients for emergencies when death was massive
and rapid, as during an epidemic, war, or disaster.
grave, multiple
– a grave where two or more bodies are buried together. A multiple grave may be a mass grave
or simply a grave where members of a family or othe
r social groups are placed upon death. Multiple graves are
rather uncommon in recent historic societies.
grave, outlying
– a grave that is located well away from others. Such graves often are given to members of
society deemed unacceptable. In Catholic cemeteries, outlying graves may be for excommunicates, suicides,
and the like.
Grave curb
– a low border, usually of stone or concrete
, surrounding a grave or plot, beginning slightly
underground and extending no more than a few inches above the surface of the ground. A grave curb is open in
the middle, although the central area may be filled with
gravel, scraped earth, or lawn. comp. grave fence;
paving.
grave depression
– a hollow in the surface of the ground over a grave, brought about by the collapse of a
disintegrating coffin. syn. grave, sunken.
grave fence
– a fence surrounding a grave or plot completely,
usually one or more feet high. A grave fence can
be of the most homely materials or of elegant and expensive commercial fencing. e.g. cerquita. comp. grave
curb; grave rail.
gravehouse
– a ramada (roof with comer posts supporting it) over a grave, or a shed over a grave. The
gravehouse is known especially from the American South.
It probably developed there from local Indian usage,
but it may have developed from a weaker tradition in England.
grave lamp
– any type of lighting device placed on a grave, apparently symbolizing eternal light (in the
Judeo-Christian tradition). It may be kept lighted or no
t; it may even be incapable of being lighted, as with a
lighi bulb placed on the surface of a grave, a fairly common grave offering in various parts of the American
South.
grave landscaping
– any modification of the grave area in terms of plantings, gardens, fountains, or the like.
Grave landscaping is most prominent with elite graves, su
ch as that of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., the famous actor.
His grave has fountains, reflecting pools, a shrine, and
trees. Grave landscaping in America began essentially
with the rural cemetery movement of the mid-nineteenth century, beginning in the Northeast.
grave marker
– any above-ground device or monument to mark a grave. e.g. gravestone; grave rail.
grave offering
– any item sacrificed or donated at a grave.
A grave offering may be durable and visible (e.g.,
shells, jewelry), ephemeral (e.g., wine or beer poured in
to the ground), or anywhere in between (e.g., flowers).
Grave offerings may be conceived as items of use to the deceased in the afterlife, as items to enhance or
commemorate the status of the deceased (and his or her
survivors), or as simple obligations. A grave offering
may be made at the time of burial and included in the coffin or grave pit with the bc~dy, or it may be placed on
the grave at any time after burial. e.g. libation. grave pit the actual hole into which a body is placed, including a
filled-in hole. grave post a simple wooden post used as a grave marker.
grave rail
– a wooden rail placed along the long side (burial axis) of a grave on the surface as a grave marker.
Normally, grave rails form a pair, one on each side of the grave.
gravestone
– a stone grave marker; more loosely, any grave marker. syn. tombstone. comp. memorial;
monument.
Graveyard
– An area set aside for burial of the dead; a common burying ground of a church or community.
headboard
– a flat, slab-like wooden grave marker placed at the head end of a grave. Headboards may be used
alone or in conjunction with footboards. see footboard. comp. headstone.
Headstone
– a flat, stab-like stone grave marker placed at the held end of a grave. Headstones may be used
alone or in conjunction with footstones. sce footstone.
Impressed
– decoration is made by pressing something against the surface of the concrete while it is wet, then
removing it, leaving an impression. This is fairly common technique in various folk cemetery traditions, with
leaves and crucifixes among the more commonly impressed items. incising the creating of aline by drawing a
stylus or similar tool through the surface of a wet material before it hardens.
Incising
– is a common method of making inscriptions or producing artwork on concrete markers, particularly
in folk traditions. I
inhumation
– the burial of a body in the ground
initial stone
– a gravestone with initials carved at the base as a maker’s mark
inscription
– writing on a grave marker. By convention, this term is used regirdle-sof the technique used to
render the writing (e.g., carving, painting, etc.). The inscri
ption usually includes biographical information and
the epitiph, if any. -inscription, relict the traces of an in
scription, otherwise destroyed, that may reveal that
inscription.
inset
– referring to the placing of objects in the concrete of a grave marker w hen it was wet
interment
– the burial or other disposition ofa dead body
layout
– the spatial organization of a cemetery
layout, chronological
– a cemetery layout where grave- are arranged by death order, with no consideration of
family or other alliances.
layout, family-plot
– a cemeterv layout where graves are arranged by family affiliation, not by death order.
ledger stone
– a grave marker that is placed horizontally, flush with the surface of the earth. This style marker
has become increasingly popular with cemetery maintenance workers because of the case of mowing grass
around and over them.
lichgate
– an arching gate, usually of iron, at the entrance to a cemetery.
lot
– an area of a cemetery owned or controlled by an individual or family.
maker’s mark
– a distinctive mirk, usually initials or a name, placed on a gravestone as an indication of its
maker.
mausoleum
– a building for the housing of bodies in separate drawer,- or compirtments. A mausoleum differs
from 1 tomb in that it is owned communally by tile cemetery and patrons purchase rights to a section of it,
while a tomb is built, owned, and used exclusively by a single family or similar group.
memorial
– a grave marker, usually in ornate one
Memorial park
– A cemetery of the 20th century cared for in perpetuity by a business or nonprofit corporation;
generally characterized by open expanses of greensward with
either flush or other regulated gravernarkers; in
the last half of the 19th century, those with flush markers were called “lawn” cemeteries.
Monolith
– A large, vertical stone gravernarker having no base or cap.
monument
– a grave marker, usually one with sorne fanciness and size.
Motif
– any more or less standardized artistic theme or representation, such as a rose, cherub, or
urn-and-willow.
mound
– a pile of earth or similar material erected over a grave as a form of marker. Earthen mounds are
common in many pre-modern societies around the world (e.g., Adena and Hopewell societies of North
American prehistory, Neolithicand Bronze Age societies of
prehistoric Furope, the jornon Culture of prehistoric
Japan, etc.), but earthen mounds are less common in recent burial traditions and tend to be small when they do
Occur.
mound, rock
– a low pile of rock, often admixed with earth, erected over a grave.
National cemetery
– One of 130 burial grounds established by the Congress of the United States since 1862 for
interment of armed forces servicemen and women whose last service ended honorably. Presently, the
Department of Veterans Affairs maintains 114, the Na
tional Park Service (Department of the Interior)
administers 14, and the Department of the Army has responsibility for two.
neoclassical
– referring to the art style of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, where motifs and scenes
drawn from classical Greece and were used in decorati
on. Urns, draperies, columns, and certain human poses
typify this style.
Niche
– in general, any recess in the surface of something;
a compartment in a columbariurn or other area for
the placement of cremation remains.
nimbus
– a halo-like representation in Christian art, especially the representation of such a glow at the
intersection of the upright and arm of a cross. In such
a position, the nimbus indicates that the cross was that on
which Jesus was crucified. The nimbus can be circ
ular, diamond-shaped, oval, jagged, or even square.
obelisk
– a gravestone that is tall, slender, square in cross-section, and pointed at the top. Obelisks usually are
quite large and imposing, indicating the wealth and stature of the deceased.
.
E-mail: office@serenitymonument.com
Phone: (205) 584-1881