To answer your question, I have studied tombstones and tombstone inscriptions
for many years.  (I have quite a collection of epitaphs, epigrams, and
anthologies.)  All old church and community cemeteries had the tombstone at
the head of the deceased and facing east.  If the deceased was a  mother who
had children who died small, the children were buried at the mother's.  The
explanation given is that when the resurrection comes, the people will rise
up out of the grave facing Jesus who will come from the east, i.e, they will
not have to turn in any direction to see Jesus when He comes.  The mother
would have her children at her feet so all she would have to do is take them
by the hand.  She would not have to turn and look for them.  Besides, they
were always under her feet while they were alive.  This practice disappeared
with the advent of perpetual care cemeteries separate from church and
community cemeteries.  Now the other part of your question regards the
cemetery in Louisiana where the graves faced north and south, I have no idea
as to why that orientation was chosen.

Doyle T. Brittain
[email protected]



R. W. Hughes wrote:

 Goodafternoon, Fellow Carolina-Rooters,
> This is somewhat off subject, but I am really curious about this and hope
> that someone can help....If this is a problem, I will go ahead and
> apologize in advance....
> An article in "Country" magazine has prompted this, and I may be
> wandering around in the dark, so to speak....readers of this magazine
> write in telling about what makes their little town unique among all
> others....someone from Rayne, LA states that the town is listed in
> Ripley's Believe It Or Not! for its old St. Joseph's
> Cemetery.....according to the article, it is the only known cemetery in
> the US with the headstones facing north/south......ALL of the others have
> the headstones facing east/west......am I the only one not to have ever
> noticed this....is this general knowledge, even to us graveyard
> plunderers?  I just had to ask this.
> Any feedback and/or responses would be welcome.
> Bill Hughes
> [email protected]
>
> >

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