Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tombstone Tuesday: Capt. Charles G. SISSON

Capt. Charles G. SISSON by midgefrazel
Capt. Charles G. SISSON, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Capt. Charles G. SISSON

"The Voyage is Ended"
Lisa Saunders, a Mystic resident and author, wrote a blog post about this gravestone. Instead of repeating information by researching him and his wife Anne (the gravestone that has fallen over in this photo), I'd like to write about the symbolism  represented on this stone.

The ship motif and the words "The Voyage Has Ended" plus the words Capt. indicate that he had something to do with the sea. However, the presence of the American flag tell us he was a veteran.

The drape sometimes is a symbol of the veil between the earthly and the spiritual worlds. As it is draped above the ship, a casual viewer may think that the person died on board ship. In fact, it was his wife, who is buried next to him, the one who died at sea. Of course, any drape on a gravestone or urn is a sign of mourning.

Lisa Saunders directs us, in her blog post, to a walking tour of Mystic (The other walking tour is about the sea captains which I will mention in a later post.)

Such an interesting gravestone with more of a story to tell!




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