Friday, October 28, 2011

Apologies, Mr. Strickler

The marker at the grave of John Spitler (d. 1837) is a siltstone beauty signed by the carver.


Sorry, I mean signed by the cutter. John Strickler, a local craftsman, signed his name and his job title. If he considered himself a stone cutter, who am I to demote/promote him to carver?

In memory of
JOHN
SPITLER,
who departed
this life April
18,th 1837; Aged
62 years, 6 month
and 16 days.

The epitaph is a version of the classic “Remember me as you pass by.”

Stop my friends and take a view,
Of the cold grave allotted you,
Remember well that you must die,
And turn to dust as well as I.


The willow looks more like a palm tree to me. Perhaps not one of Strickler’s best.


Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

4 comments:

  1. Great gravestone! I love the carvings and the modern form of "stop". I think that in the old country men were cutters because they cut the stone and carved it too!

    Midge

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Midge! I just know my habits will keep me calling them carvers probably--mostly because it's the carving I always admire so much. Maybe artisan is the word for some of these cutter/carvers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just recently discovered my great x4 grandfather (John Martin Strickler) and his family were well know stone cutters in Fairfield County...by accident. Thanks for posting the stunningly beautiful examples of his work. I am looking forward to paying some of his art pieces a visit the next time I make a trip back home, down I-70. I would love to know more!

    - stakerpgh

    ReplyDelete
  4. This Spitler happens to be rather famous in the folk art world for paint decorated blanket/dower chest.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=johann+spitler+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjyvJmUq6f0AhXI6FMKHVR-Aj8Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=johann+spitler+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDDIHCCMQ7wMQJzIHCCMQ7wMQJ1CLOliLOmCogAFoAHAAeACAAV6IAa0BkgEBMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=FR-ZYbJeyNHPAtT8ifgD&bih=937&biw=1920

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...