We started in the oldest part of the cemetery. The graves went back to the 1860's. Before the Victorian era, cemeteries were not an inviting place. The Victorians began the tradition of garden cemeteries that were landscaped and park-like. It was a place you wanted to go to visit the dearly departed. Also during this time, the headstones became more elaborate and adorned with symbolism of the time.
The first headstone I saw is below. The back has a weeping willow carved into it. The willow was a symbol of sadness or mourning. The front of the stone shows hands clasping. When I have seen these in the past, I thought it was people shaking hands. If you look closely, you can see from the clothing depicted one hand is female and one is male. It appears the male hand is clasping the female hand while the female hand appears limp. This indicates the live husband clasping his dead wife's hand for the final time as she bids farewell to earthly existence.
The photo on the right shows two headstones. The left headstone is another child with a dove motif. The dove is a symbol of peace. The stone on the right is someone who served in the 7th Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. This headstone was provided by the U.S. government. He probably died after the war, since he was buried at home.