Tombstone Tuesday: Mayflower descendant

It is not uncommon to find relationships listed on tombstones. “Wife of…,” “son of…,” etc. are inscribed in countless tombstones across the world. But what about stating that the deceased descends from a Mayflower passenger?

I’ve seen tombstones with the insignia of the Mayflower Society. The one shown here is in Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana. (Yes, there are things in Fort Wayne besides the library!)

However, the one I found today at Union Grove Cemetery in Canal Winchester, Ohio was a new one on me:

The inscription reads:

Rev. Louis Samuel Fuller, Descendant of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower. Apr. 1, 1860 – Apr. 29, 1928. Elizabeth L. Fuller 1865 – 1944. Educator, preacher and reformer. A pioneer for the 18th Amendment.

I could be wrong, but I doubt that the Reverend’s descendants could use only this tombstone to prove their descent for the Mayflower Society.

One other thing about this stone. Notice how Louis’s dates of birth and death are listed in full. Elizabeth’s dates are listed with only the years. I don’t think one should “read” anything into this, as there are several possible explanations. It may not have been economically feasible for Elizabeth’s heirs to have the full dates engraved; engraving is expensive. They may have thought the stone would look cluttered with the full dates. Perhaps they didn’t know the exact date of her birth, so they opted to list only the years. I will say that this is another example of a stone where more information is given for the husband than it is for the wife.