An epitaph has been described as a memorial that lies about the one that lies below. The epitaphs that follow are a collection of gravestone inscriptions reported to exIst or to have existed at one time. Some are serious and portray a quality of folk poetry, the others are humorous or punning epitaphs. Although people quote them and swear by their authenticity, a number of them are suspect and a few are obviously contrived-nevertheless they are part of the folklore of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
-0- -0- It. was so soon that I was done for. I wonder what I was begun for. Here lies my wife. Here let her lie. Now she's at rest and so am I. -0- -0- O silent grave, to thee we trust This precious part of earthly dust. Guard it safe, O sacred tomb Till, we, his children, ask for room. Here lies the body of Isaac Shook We always knew he lied He said he was just a wee bit sick When actually he died.
The story is told that a tramp once visited the Ziegel's Church cemetery in Lehigh County seeking a quiet place to take a nap without being disturbed. He stretched out comfortably near a tombstone with the following inscription:
As you are now, so once was I, As I am now, so once you'll be. Follow me. Taking an old pencil stub from his pocket he added these additional lines: To follow you I am not content, Until I know which way you went.
If there should be several deaths in a family in a few months time the grave of the first of the deceased should be opened to see if the corpse has a part of the shroud in its mouth.
This superstition brought about the exhumation of a person dead for more than nine years.
"On Sunday last, the people of Ephrata and vicinity were startled and shocked ...that the remains of ____________ who died about nine years ago had been exhumed by two men hired for the purpose bythe friends of the deceased.
Curiosity was naturally exalted and speculations started as to the cause of such an open desecration on the Sabbath; and upon inquiry of some of the relatives our correspondent learned that the young lady alluded to have died of consumption, and that since her death two brothers had died also of the same disease ...The opinions of physicians were set aside by the incursions of ignorance.. under which the belief was seriously entertained and acted upon, that, by some hocus-pocus, the winding sheet of the corpse had got into her mouth, and that by a continual suction she had actually drawn the other five members of the family after her; and that unless this winding sheet was speedily removed £rom her mouth of the corpse she would, in like manner,
cause premature death of the whole (family) connection."(The Courier, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1857)
There were numerous and various signs of death, some are as follows:
If cracks appear in bread while baking.
If you miss a row while planting
The whining of a dog under a window
A child crying while being baptized
A picture falling from the wall
If horses neigh at a funeral
If a cricket gets into the house
Sneezing at the table
A sick person pulling at the bedclothes
Counting the conveyances at a funeral
In making coffins the carpenter should be careful to gather up all the shavings and sawdust and place them in the coffin If any should be brought into a house, death will follow.
The clock should be stopped in the home of the deceased to show that time is over.
If a sick person is changed from one room to another he will die.
If thirteen people sit down to a meal-one of them will die within a year.
Smelling flowers that have been displayed on a coffin is bad luck.
It is bad luck to count the number of vehicles in a funeral procession.
Pictures should be turned to the wall in the home where a person dies.
A rooster's crow at midnight means death is nearby.
Do not erect a tombstone in less than a year after death, else there will be another in the family soon.
Smelling flowers whch grow on a grave can destroy the sense of smell.