Question about grave makers

[EC.Mason]

Hey I hope everyone is well. I visited an older cemetery (late 1800s early 1900s) yesterday. There are probably 100 people buried there. Well there were three graves that all had footstones with a big X carved on them. There was nothing else inscribed, and it was about dark and the headstones were hard to read due to age. I have never seen an X carved on a footstone, and these three graves were all lined up together. No other footstone in the cemetery had one. Anyone seen this before and know what it means? I'm sure its just for marking purposes but I couldn't find anything on the internet about it and again it was new to me. Thanks!

 

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[releventchair]

X is first greek letter in Christs name ,but usually had a second letter worked in with it.
Skull and crossbones was a common theme at one time.
Wonder if an X was just simple symbol for crossed bones?

 

[EC.Mason]

Hey thanks hadn't thought about that. I attached a couple pics. Again just curiosity getting to me.

 

[releventchair]

Hey thanks hadn't thought about that. I attached a couple pics. Again just curiosity getting to me. View attachment 1603555 View attachment 1603556

Not what I imagined at all....
Was thinking they were small.
They don't appear to be crosses.

Maybe a military insignia ,kind of.?

 

[Ogre1190]

Unknown Confederate soldier?

 

[Tedyoh]

Maybe it was a lack of money thing......I've been to a mid 1800's graveyard where some of tombstones are nothing more than a piece of shale sticking up out of the ground - there was a pine box there for sure as you can see about a 14" deep depression in the ground - guessing they were children's' graves as the depressions are only about 3 foot long.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Unnamed babies who were stillborn or died shortly after birth?

 

[joe_dirt]

Diver down? [emoji12]

 

[EC.Mason]

Thanks for the replies guys! I'm going to try to get a better look at the headstones and see if I can read anything on them. Was kind of in a hurry when I saw them. Tedyoh and FreebirdTim, I was kind of thinking the same thing you were as far as unnamed babies or just due to poverty. But these are foot stones and all three graves have headstones. The graves on the left and right have the X facing outward, while the middle grave has the X facing inward toward the headstone. Just never seen this before and odd that out of all the graves these were the only three that had it. Again once I get more information off the headstones maybe I will know more.

 

[vpnavy]

Maybe it is me BUT I do see something (a design and below that letters) AND the more I look at it the less I feel it is an "X."

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[Kace]

Hi EC... Is there any chance that they could of been moved there later?

Or... Could the X be for the Roman numeral 10?

Or...Could It Be The Confederate X?

Kace

 

[EC.Mason]

VPNavy, I see what you are talking about! Almost looks like a person/angel maybe Just not sure and not sure how the X ties in. Im going to get some better pictures soon and take a closer look.

 

[EC.Mason]

Kace, there was a lot of Civil War activity in the area so that is very possible. Im going to work harder to read the headstones and hopefully that will give me a better time frame on when they may have been put there.

 

[Molewacker]

Very interesting subject - poking around the net - footstones generally have the initials of who was buried - it would be interesting to see if headstones showed any family relationship. The comment on perhaps the X as Confederate symbol is worthy of further research IMHO.