Cemeteries Can be Fun Trivia Quiz

Answer: Graving

"Graving" is a hobby that is increasing in popularity. Although some people may find this hobby a little weird a growing number of people enjoy the hobby of finding and photographing graves in order to preserve history and family ancestries.

Answer: All of these would be a good reason to explore a cemetery

There is much history in cemeteries. Many "gravers" have a particular interest when searching cemeteries. Some seek out the graves of the rich and famous, Civil War veterans etc. Many genealogists explore cemeteries in search of information to help trace their family's roots. Those interested in architecture also explore cemeteries to view the many different styles of structural design that can be found on tombs.

Answer: Water and a soft bristled brush

Using anything but water and a soft bristled brush could seriously damage the gravestone. If a gravestone cannot be cleaned with these items, than it is best to leave it alone or call a professional preservationist.

Answer: A gravestone made from zinc

Zinkers were manufactured from 1873 to about 1920. The Monumental Bronze Company located in Bridgeport, Connecticut was the largest manufacturer. They were designed to look like the more expensive granite and marble headstones, but were actually made of zinc by using a metal casting process. The zinc gave them a bluish white color, so they are often referred to as white bronze markers.

Answer: A grave marker provided by the Woodmen of the World

Woodmen of the World is an American fraternal insurance company. Beginning in the 1880s the insurance company would provide the widow of a deceased client $100 and a free gravestone if the logo of the insurance company could be put on the stone. The "Woodmen of the World" logo traditionally WOW had four objects on them: the Maul, Axe, Wedge and Dove.

The motto "Dum Tacet Clamat", Latin meaning "though silent, he speaks", also appeared on many WOW gravestones. Styles and sizes of the stone varied greatly throughout the years.

The practice was phased out in the 1920's due to prohibitive costs.

Answer: True

Many cemeteries like Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington DC and Crown Point Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana offer tours to the public. Internationally famous cemeteries like Père Lachaise in Paris France and the Melbourne General Cemetery in Australia also offer tours.

Answer: A tomb or monument erected in honor of a person or persons whose remains are elsewhere

"Cenotaph" is derived from Greek Words meaning empty tomb. It can be erected to memorialize an individual whose body was lost or who is buried elsewhere.

Answer: FindAGrave.com

Tipton began FindAGrave.com in 1995 because he could not find a website that coincided with his hobby of photographing graves of famous people. The site has over 200,000 contributors and over 15 million grave records used by historians, genealogists, preservationists and people seeking family members. Tipton is considered a pioneer in the development and popularization of this hobby.

Answer: Paupers

It is a part of the cemetery reserved for the burial of unknown and/or indigent individuals. The term comes from the Bible (Matthew 27:7), when the chief priests determined what to do with the thirty pieces of silver returned by a penitent Judas Iscariot.

The Bible says, "So they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in." It was not called the potter's field because a potter owned it, but because the ground was too bad to grow crops so potters used the land to dig clay.

Answer: Epitaph

Epitaphs in Colonial America were usually used to give a warning about the certainty of death not comfort. An example would be, "As you are now once was I, As I am now, so you shall be..." As attitudes toward death changed, epitaphs changed to convey feelings of grief and/or hope.