Episode 6: Awe, Part 4

In this, the final installment of Episode 6, we discuss the various ways the new, emotionally expressive culture around grief and death that had developed in turn-of-the-19th-century New England began to play out. We see themes of transcendence and ascension (into heaven) get very popular between the 1790s-1810s. And its not just gravestone motif design but also in folk art and mourning jewelry that begin to reflect these social changes. We talk to licensed gemologist and historical jewelry specialist, Nicholle Mogavero, who shares her knowledge about mourning jewelry and the parallels in imagery used in jewelry design with what we see in gravestone motifs of the same time.

And finally, we tackle the two big questions about Relief Wilcox Town’s gravestone, with its unique broken willow, moon-soul effigy/spray of stars and the focal point of empty space: does this design reflect something specific about Relief and her life/death and who carved this amazing piece of art?

And we talk about spreadsheets. It gets real nerdy, real fast. (Hmm, that really seems like a buried lead, doesn’t it?)

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Transcript Episode 6: Awe, Part 4

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View fullsize
Urn Mourning Ring View fullsize
Shaw Mourning Ring Inscription View fullsize
Mourning Locket/Brooch Insert View fullsize
Hair Embellishment Close-up View fullsize
Stick Pin/Converted Brooch View fullsize
Weekes Cemetery View fullsize
Relief Wilcox Town View fullsize
Benjamin Weekes View fullsize
John Weekes View fullsize
Allen Weekes View fullsize
William Weeks

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Musical Arrangement and Performance:
Jennifer Vannell: Badger Studios

Special Thanks:
Interviewee: Nicholle Mogavero, graduate gemologist, professional jewelry appraiser and historian. Find Nicholle on Instagram at #jewelrynerd and Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/JewelryNerd/

Those who fielded my many questions:
Laurel Gabel : The Association for Gravestone Studies

The Gravestone Girls

James Blachowicz (Department of Philosophy, Loyola University- Chicago)

Michael Laferriere, John Sterling : Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Commission

Members of:
New Hampshire Old Gravestone Association (NHOGA)
Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA)
Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS)
Rhode Island Genealogical Society (RIGS)

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