Victorian Funerary Symbols – Wise Guys Historical Tours

Many of the following symbols are found at Bonaventure Cemetery. The symbols are a beautiful way to remember the most important parts of a loved one and their impact and contribution to the world. The next time that you visit Bonaventure or any other Victorian Era cemetery pay close attention to the symbols. It is one of the most enjoyable parts of a cemetery visit.

Anchor: A life anchored by Christ
Angel: An agent of God
Archway: The gates of Heaven

The Archway
Jesus Welcoming Believers into Heaven
Lawton Family Plott

Column: A life that was lived full of integrity and character
Broken Column: A life that ended suddenly or too soon
Tree Cut Off: A life that ended suddenly or too soon
Candle: Christ is the light of the world
Circles: Eternity or Eternal Life
Cross: Christian Faith, Christ’s death and resurrection
Cross Lying on its back: Resurrection Cross (Rising up just like Christ rose from the grave)
Crown: Attaining the crown of eternal life
Cloth: Mourning and Heavenly Protection
Cherebs: Bearers of God’s throne
Drapes: Mourning and Heavenly Protection
Dove: Carrying Soul to Heaven
Wings: The soul being freed from it’s earthly body
Leaves or Flowers over a headstone: Victory over Death
Palm: Victory over Death
Laurel Wreath: Eternity, Eternal Life, and Victory over Death
Rose Pedals: Peace and Love
Lamb: Peace and Innocence

The Lamb
Peace and Innocence

This particular style could be ordered from the Sears and Roebuck Catalog
Trumpet: Victory over Death
Clasping Hands: Reuniting in Heaven
Harp: Praising God in Heaven
Shinx: Wealth and Power
Sword: Military
Big Rock: Strength and Stability

The Rock and Oak Leaves
Red Granite and Bronze Oak Leaves
The Ryals Family Plot

Wheat: A long and productive life
Flame: Eternal Remembrance
Hourglass: Time
Poppies: Sleep of death, rest
Scroll: The Book of Life
Finger pointing to the Scroll: Jesus pointing to a name in the Book of Life Open Book: The Bible, The Book of Life, The Story of a person’s life
Sickle or Scythe: A life ended too soon tragically; Cutting Down a life
Serpent: Knowledge and Wisdom
Urn: Death and Eternity or Eternal Life

A Resurrection Cross
Rising Up Just as Christ Rose from the Grave

Angel dropping Rose Petals on the Family
The Dieter Family Plot
One of the many fine sculptures of John Walz

The Column
The Bacon Family Plot

The Wilbur Family Plot
The angel is pointing towards Heaven
The Star on her head represents Heaven

Vine: Eternal Life
Star: Heaven
Pointing Upward or North: Heaven
Obelisk: Power and Influence
Lion: Strength and Courage and the Power of God Weeping Willows: Sorrow and Grief

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Customer Reviews

I’ve been part of many walking tours: Boston, Charleston, Savannah, etc. Wayne is easily the best tour guide I’ve ever had. You can really tell he has a passion for history and storytelling. 11/10 would recommend. We will be back.

Wesley did an amazing job! His passion for the history of the city definitely shows through during his tour. So much knowledge!

Absolutely amazing. Wayne, a retired history teacher of 30 years, knew everything there was about the cemetery. I highly recommend him and his company to everyone looking for a meaningful and informative time in Savannah.

Our tour guide Wesley was very knowledgeable about Savannah’s history. He kept us engaged the entire tour. He also gave great recommendations for other things to do and see while we are here. I would give more than 5 stars if I could!

On a recent visit, my family and I had the pleasure of going on a tour with Wayne. He is the very best storyteller and will have children and adults of all ages captivated! His knowledge of American history is vast and his way of telling the story will have you wanting to stay just a little longer and you’ll be thinking of booking another tour before you even get home.

We had a such a great experience with our walking history tour with Wayne, that we immediately booked the Bonaventure cemetery tour with Wise Guys! We learned a lot and it enhanced our visit to Savannah!

We did the history buff tour with Wesley as our tour guide. What a fun morning! Wesley was very knowledgeable about the history of Savannah and how it came to be. He gave us lots of extra little tidbits that I don’t think we would have learned from another tour guide. Highly recommend Wise Guys Tours!

Just finished a historical tour with Wes Worthington from Wise Guys Historical Tours. Wes had an extensive knowledge in all areas of Savannah’s history and was easy to talk to and ask questions. We learned so much and did not realize the influence that Savannah had on the founding of the US. Definitely worth your time.

Wayne was fabulous!! You must take a guided tour. There is sooo much info to learn!!! Wayne is your answer!

Wow!! What a fun tour through Savannah! Wayne is a walking book of historical knowledge and brings bits of history that I can remember back to life with details and stories!! He was so kind to take it slow for some of our older people and we had some sitting breaks in the beautiful squares! Call Wayne for a walk to remember in Savannah!

Wayne and his team are incredible and really bring history to life! You can tell he really loves what he is doing and creates a very fun atmosphere!

What a wonderful walking tour & an even more wonderful guide, Wayne. He was kind, humorous, and made history interesting and come alive!

Wayne did an excellent job and tailored our tour to cover areas of Savannah history that we had not already covered. We found him to be very knowledgeable and a pleasure on the tour.

Great walking tour with guide Joe. Informative and fascinating walk around the old historic district. We enjoyed it tremendously.

We did the cemetery tour and came back for more the second day. Wayne was a great tour guide. He’s a former HS history teacher and his knowledge and storytelling skill reflect this. Very high quality operator of tours.

Excellent walking tour of downtown Savannah. Scott, the guide, was very knowledgeable and friendly and made the tour very interesting. I learned lots of things about Savannah and its history. Highly recommended!

I’ve taken several tours in Savannah and this was one of my favorite because the tour guide was so flexible and cognizant of the group’s needs. I took this tour with a group of co-workers. Wes, the guide, tailored the tour based on the group’s interests and even let us stop to get a drink. The owner even stopped by to introduce himself and tell us about how he started the company!

BEST TOUR EVER! Wayne is super knowledgeable and is a great guide! 10/10. If you want to get to know Savannah, this is the tour for you!

This was the best part of our Savannah trip. Our guide was awesome and knew a ton of great history. Highly recommend this. We will be back for sure.

Found Wise Guys almost by accident but their golf cart tour of Bonaventure Cemetery was by far the best thing my wife and I have done in the area. Great explanations for tourists, perfect amount of time on site, and lots of extra care to stop, dismount, and examine specific highlights. Cannot recommend enough and will be back to take the tour again the next time we are in Savannah or Tybee Island.

We had a great tour with Marcia today at Bonaventure Cemetery. We covered a lot of ground and learned so many facts and stories about Savannah. I love that we got the real story, not some embellishment or possible ghost tale. We will definitely be booking more tours with this company and hope to have Marcia again!

Joanna provided a golf cart tour of Bonaventure Cemetery to our small group. She was awesome! Knowledgeable, friendly, conversational, and just seemed genuinely enthusiastic to share what she knows. She offered a good balance of education and storytelling and we left quite impressed. It was also a kind gesture for the tour to have provided us blankets for the ride as it was a chilly morning! Thanks for a great tour.

Our tour through the cemetery was fantastic! I am so glad we chose a tour to learn more about the history of the cemetery as well as the people that have been laid to rest in it. It is such a huge cemetery and there is no way we would have covered as much territory or had the background information necessary to really appreciate the beauty and history of the cemetery.